PlantFiles: Moonflower, Moon Vine, Giant White Moonflower
Ipomoea alba

Tender perennial vine is usually grown as a tender annual.

Fragrant flowers open in the evening and may stay open through the next morning.

The grower that sold the plant to my friend, told her that the leaves are slightly toxic to dogs.

This is a beautiful vine, and the aroma at night is pleasant. This is from my grandmother's house originally. I have cut off branches and set in water or soft soil and given as starters to friends-several times. I do not have to really water this and have never done anything to fertilize these. I do have to prune this back every spring and sometimes at the end of summer too. The vine is so lovely and the aroma at night is so sweet. For my grandmother though, her hay fever was bothered with this when it was by her bedroom window. The plant had to be planted on the back fence and this was fine.

I wonder if there is any luck with these thriving in Michigan. Anyway, and advise on making a homemade trellis for these in a 8-10 inch pot?

I bought 2 young plants last year from a local shop. They didn't grow too much for the first month but after that they went wild. Between the two I had up to 15 blooms at a time. The biggest blooms I have ever seen. This was my first experience with MoonFlowers and I live in Michigan. Just last week I started the seeds from last years plants. If all goes well I will have moonflower mania this summer.

I have just planted a few Moonflower seeds in the garden next to a trellis. I understand that they could be difficult to grow. I have only seen pictures and think they are beautiful and look forward to enjoying them in my garden.

I just purchased some seed for the Moonflower and planted. They germinated and have sprouted up in 5 days. I am looking forward to some great showy flowers. I live in eastern North Carolina (U.S.) and we have had plenty of warm humid weather.

I have grown this plant from seed for the past five years both in pots and in the ground, and in the Atlanta area (zone 7b) and Northcentral Florida (zone 8b.) It is easy to save seed, and the large purplish pods that hang throughout the late summer are an attractive addition to the display. I collect the pods just as they turn a chocolate brown color and start to open up. The vines are not frost hardy, so if there are any pods still maturing at frost time, I cut off the pods and bring them inside to dry out and turn brown, and then collect the seeds.

The seeds are large, hard and creamy colored, and turn darker as they get older. I store them in regular paper envelopes (marked with the plant's name) in a cardboard shoebox so they can "breathe," and keep the shoebox in a dry spot like a pantry or closet. In early spring I first lightly nick the seeds, then soak them in warmish water for at least 24 hours, then wrap in wet paper towels and put them in a covered old cooking pot in a warm place, like on top of the refrigerator. If I am starting a lot of different seeds this way in the same pot, I mark the paper towels with the name of the seed with permanent marker which won't run when wet. I then check the pot every day to see if any seeds have sprouted, and I spray the paper towels with a mixture of cammomile tea and warmish water before they dry out to prevent damping off.

Like many plants moonflowers germinate over a good long length of time, so as to ensure survival in case of a late frost. Once the seeds sprout, I plant in Miracle Gro potting soil, in homemade "peat pots," made from empty rolls of paper towels, each "pot" cut about 2 and 1/8 inches long, then packed tightly with potting soil, and placed tightly together in a plastic tray of some sort that drains well, and set in a sunny, warm spot. A spray concoction of camomille tea, liquid Tobasco sauce, and mild dish soap will help prevent damping off and insect damage.

The seedlings grow rapidly, and often I have to then replant them, homemade peat pot and all, into a larger pot. Or, if I've saved enough of them over the winter, I really prefer to plant moonflower seedlings into the bottom of saved milk or juice cartons, cut in half, with holes punched in the bottoms for drainage, as moonflower seedlings are larger than most other plants and have to be transplanted frequently up into larger and larger pots until they are ready to survive outdoors. After the seedlings are big enough to survive cutworms, etc. I plant them in the ground, usually in late April. A toothpick pushed into the ground just next to the seedling stem will prevent cutworms from encircling it, and crumpled up, dried egg shells sprinkled around seedlings will usually prevent snails and slugs getting to them--the shells cut up their soft bottoms. This all may seem like a lot of trouble, but moonflowers are one of the most beautiful and rewarding flowers you can grow, and I always have Moonflowers blooming by the fourth of July.

This is a large vine--mine are currently about 18 feet long, growing atop a six foot fence. And as it a large, vigorous plant with lots of leaf surface and big flowers, it needs a correspondingly large amount of water and fertilizer. So I use Miracle Gro Bloom fertilizer at least once every three weeks or so.

I've noticed that as they grow they lose leaves along the bottom and get to look a little naked, so I'm starting to grow smaller ground covers underneath, like "Blackie" sweetpotato vine for contrast, or I put a piece of broken pot across the bottom of the vines--this protects this sensitive point from racoons and dogs--see my posted picture.

I have experimented to see if lighter seeds germinate better than heavier seeds, floaters versus non floaters, darker colored versus lighter colored, and have found no perceptable difference, so I try to start any seed that is not obviously "dead."

September 8, 2003: Have just collected three seeds from my first dried pod, but there are many, many pods hanging on the vines, and the vines are still vigorously blooming, better than ever, now that our rains have abated somewhat and they are getting more sun. In my experience these plants need at least a half day's sun to bloom well, preferably in the morning, and full sun with just late afternoon shade will just about smother the plants with flowers every evening, provided they are highly fertilized and watered.

I brought two starts of this plant from Charleston, South Carolina (U.S.) through the airport and on a plane to central Indiana. While the actual vine is very healthy, still no signs of flowers- believe me, I check it at all hours! I have used modest amounts of Miracle-gro (water-soluble fertilizer), and keep it watered. It is in full sun. I planted it in mid/late spring and as of this note, it's early August. I want to enjoy this and have been waiting ALL summer!!

This is the first year I have planted moon vines. They are in a large pot on my front porch with full sun. The flowers are lovely but am wondering about the vine. The leaves keep turning yellow and dropping yet I see new growth where the leaves fell off...The vine, at present, looks quite bare of leaves. I am in hardiness zone 6b so this vine is an annual here. We are having a hot humid summer and the vine has grown very nicely.

I planted seeds last spring (oops should have planted in fall!) and this summer my plant sprouted and grew to three feet tall! It's first flower bloomed the second week of August! It's doing tremendous for a Mexican plant in Pennsylvania!

I started Moonflower Vines seeds indoors 8 weeks before last frost here in Minneapolis, Minnesota (U.S.) and planted them out in full sun on June 1. They quickly covered a 4 X 10 foot trellis and bloomed profusely from August 1 until the first frost. Several of my neighbors now grow them every summer, but I found that I prefer Datura because I don't have to fight to get them to germinate. (When I get a backache from bending over planting seeds, I want the heating pad on my back, not under the moonflower seeds! lol)

Message for kiwigirl...Since you got it to germinate, the hardest part is over...I fertilize mine liberally which might help...Also, the flowers only open up at dusk and are gone the next day...Are you sure you aren't missing the blooms?

I can't grow this plant! Last year I tried growing it in the ground, and none came up. This year I am growing them in a hanging basket and they are doing poorly - no blooms and foliage is light green and barely spilling over side of pot.

I so want to sit on my porch in the summer and smell this night-time glory; I will try once more next year!

Just wanted to share with you that this plant will also grow in Colorado! My parents moved to a new house, and this strange plant started growing in one of their flower boxes. I urged them to pull it up, thinking it had to be a weed, but they left it to see what it might be. Now it is a huge, 3-4' tall bushy plant, with beautiful dark green leaves and huge white flowers.

They have really enjoyed it, and neighbors come from all around to take pictures of it. It is in a large flowerbox on the north side of the house, and it only gets a little sun in the morning, so that goes against the 'full sun' advice. I know my Dad keeps it well watered - he rarely lets his flowers dry out at all. The flower planter is very large - probably 4'x 2' - so maybe that is the secret: it needs lots of room and lots of good soil. Hope this helps!

Several years ago I was introduced to and immediately intrigued by this plant. However, my first attempt to grow it from seed failed miserably - it just didn't gow. I made another effort this year and had better luck ... the vine grew, but not one flower appeared. I live in Southeastern Massachusetts, began the plant indoors prior to summer and it had looked quite vigorous. I planted it in the ground and the vine grew, but absolutely no blooms. Can anyone tell me what I should do next year? Please advise ... I can't wait to see this flower it sounds so exquisite!!

I started this from seed about two months ago. They are growing much faster than the white morning glory seeds I started to plant with them. I've read that the two vines grow fine with each other, and that way, you have flowers both night and day. They are in a sunny east window, where they'll be planted beneath. I was surprised by how strong the seedlings are.

My experience with this plant is extensive. This cousin of the morning glory thrives as an annual vine here in zone 7b, north of Atlanta. I grow this vine at the end of my driveway on a picket fence in heavy clay soil. Anyone having problems getting this plant to bloom heed this advice - quit fertilizing. The same is true for morning glories. Over-fertilization will cause an abundance of vegatative growth and drastically reduce flowering. I also try to water as little as possible. Don't baby this plant and you will get better results.

Grew them in Zone 9 Fort Pierce, Fl.
from seed, soaked for 24 hrs in warm water, slow until June, bloomed end of July and covered a whole arbor 6'x10', and zillion of flowers opening in the evening. The fragance is amazing.
My only concern was the zillion seeds if they would sprout next spring and become a pest.
So far they have not sprouted all over.
Will keep you posted. We did have a very light frost this winter.
Argentina

I love the moonflower vine and we have been growing them for years. They seem to be very forgiving vines as they reward us with gorgeous blooms and heavenly scent and we hardly have to give them any care. Even here in Hawaii, they will die down in "winter", but come next spring, the volunteer seedlings will be back up. We save seeds to include them in our yearly Christmas gift baskets we prepare for friends in our area.

I planted moonflowers while I was living in Kansas. They grew well with large heart-shaped leaves like a morning glory but bigger, and the flowers were fragrant, huge and attracted hummingbird moths at night. I now live in California and have planted seeds on the south side of my house to help provide shade when it's hot. I'm hoping I have the same success here as I had in Kansas even though the soil is completely different. :)

I live in Northern Virginia and have been planting Moonflowers from seed every spring for the past seven years. By early July I have huge vines and tons of blooms. Before planting I soak the seeds overnight and clip just a little bit of the seed off with dog nail trimmers. I usually have little sprouts in 5 days. After about a month the plant is a foot tall. They go crazy here.

I live in Cape Town, South Africa, and have just bought a Moonflower vine plant. It's still in its black bag but it's already about 6 feet tall and flowering profusely. I've never seen this creeper in SA before & want to make sure I plant it in the right position. Can anyone advise me what would be best? My back garden has lots of morning sun (facing east) and afternoon sun (facing south). In front there's afternoon sun (facing west) and down the side I get more or less all-day sun (facing south). Our climate's Mediterranean - right now it's supposed to be late autumn/early winter and temps are ranging from lows of 12 to highs of 27 deg C. It's a winter rainfall area. Any advice will be much appreciated, thanks.

I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and I have a plant in my garden which I was told was a Moon flower.It grows about 8 inches high, and has a yellow flower which looks something like the evening primrose. The leaf is long and narrow and looks very much like a dandilion leaf, but the leaf is not as wide. It blooms at dusk , and you can watch it split open ever so slowly, and the flower opens up, then by morning it has wilted. Can you tell me what it is. It is such a fascinating plant, and it is hardy in zone 5A.

I was just wondering, I live in Conneaut, Ohio, extreme northeast part and the moonflower grows well. I was just wondering if anyone has luck growing this plant indoors?

I grow moonflowers up the railing of my stoop in Brooklyn, NY. They need warm soil to sprout, so I plant them on Memorial Day weekend after soaking and nicking. They usually don't flower until Labor Day weekend, but the leaves make a beautiful thick green screen and the flowers are so spectacular all through September and October that they are worth the wait. They grow with wild abandon on almost no nutrients in a small planter at the base of a brick wall, climbing on a grid of nylon net up to the cast iron stoop railing. Many get over two stories tall, with little fertilizer, although they do require a lot of water. The flowers are large, not as fragrant as advertised, but do open while you watch in the evening, despite a plethora of street lights all around. They are very popular with everyone who sees them. However, the seeds are a mild hallucinogen and attract some of my seedier neighbors. Luckily I always manage to harvest enough for next year's crop despite predations by those seeking their funkier delights because they do produce a prolific number of seeds with a very high germination rate. Seed stores should be kept away from children and pets, however.

I have tried to grow this plant but with no luck. I really want it to grow so I can smell the flowers at night while I am on my deck. I purchased some of the plants already started, online from a seed company, and so far are doing okay. I do have a question though about a previous post. Some one said they had planted the Moon Flower Vine beside the White Morning Glory Vine. I thought the Moon Flower Vine was just another name FOR the White Morning Glory Vine, or am I wrong?! 10-12-04: I FINALLY got some blooms on my Moon Flower! It took my breath away! It was a perfect shaped flower, but the best part was the wonderful fragrance! I had been trying for 3-4 years to get one to grow, and this is one I got from a seed company off the internet. the Summer here was so awful, with way too much rain, and not enough sunshine. So it bloomed in September, because it was hotter than it had been all Summer long, here in Lincoln, Ne. Does anyone know if these can be grown indoors, with an artificial grow type light? I am going to try it. I figure it won't hurt anything if it doesn't work, and if it works, I will have Moon Flowers during the long, depressing, gloomy Winter!

I purchased some moonflower seeds from a local retail store, not sure what to expect in our Central Illinois climate. After planting every seed in the package, I was surprised to have almost all of them quickly sprout. Due to the large number, several were given away to family and friends, while I planted three in my own garden. They have had no problem overtaking the trellace that I purchased, and are now reaching for the bedroom window! I keep looking, and finally found some tiny little beginnings of buds today. These are gorgeous, interesting plants! I anticipate the flowers and now hope to grow them every year!

BLUGLD I, like several others, have had great luck growing a vine. It has heart shaped leaves and I have 4-6 in 2 lg. pots.one on either side of an ach. I planted seeds last year too and I have yet to see a single bloom. Something came up beside one of the pots and I thought it had reseeded from last year because it also had heart shaped leaves too so I started it up the arch but suddenly it seems to be a stronger vine and the leaves changed and are kind of pointed with a little part jutting out each side.I guess kind of like a maple.I water both pots every time the leaves are wilting and have even started using blue water. It has been planted since May.What can I do? 8/04

I planted my vine from seed in April and had to wait until late July for blooms, but they have been well worth the wait. The vine was huge and lush and I thought it would never bloom, but finally I now have several flowers every night. I came to this website to ask if I needed to dead head the seed pods to keep it flowering as long as possible? I wouldn't mind if it produced volunteers next year so I am not worried about deadheading for that reason.

I live in Paducah KY (western end) and was given a moon vine by a neighbor... This is my first exposure to the plant, as I had never heard of it before... The vine is hardy and tonight (8/28/04) my curiosity has been rewarded with a MOST spectacular bloom! After visiting this site, I realized I missed the best part - watching it open up... happily the vine is just loaded with blossems, another looks ready to pop tommorrow night. You can guess where I'll be at dusk! Susan

Our Moonflower vine started blooming around July, and around Mid-August, we noticed something odd. It had started to develop DIFFERENT LEAVES! They were definetely a part of the same plant! I don't understand why this happened, but don't pull the plant with different leaves! It may very well be the same type.

Love my moonflowers...... very pretty..... too bad they open only at night..... but mine don't bloom too late...... still light enough to see very well...... around 4 OR 5 SOMETIMES 6 OCLOCK..... worth it even though they bloom late...... easy to grow to start seeds soak untill they swell or chip...... grows in many soils..... full to part sun...... or part shade...... the flowers resemble a dress..... a white dress like a bride..... do bad you can't use them in wedding arrangements..... they look like a bride's dress because they are pure white.... satiny and billow and flutter in the breeze...... the have a pretty cream star in the middle..... the blooms are LARGE...... I don't think this is stated enough.... not the size of a morning glory...... much bigger..... almost as big as a DINNERPLATE dahlia.... bigger than my fingers..... outstrechted or my whole hand...... the smell is not like a typical garden flower sweet or heady....... but nice..... NOT STRONG (SMELL FRAGRANCE)...... the smell is less like tuberose and honeysuckle...... which I love too bad honeysuckle's invasive.... but more LIKE A MODERN PERFUME.... they don't waft.... well very well that is.... stick you nose in it and it smells a bit like TOMMY GIRL OR TOMMY HILFIGER PERFUME......

A very beautiful native vine found in open wet grassy fields, edges of swamps, marshes, and wetlands, pine flatwoods and other open or wet areas in the Southeastern U.S. Has a very nice, attractive scent that may attract wildlife - I wonder if it attracts hummingbirds! Probably attracts pollinating insects. The flower is very beautiful, luminous and white - I really love it and its scent! I'd recommend it for any garden, including native plant or wildlife gardens! This is one of my favorite native plants, even though I havn't yet attempted to grow it.

I planted a seed (started it in a pot with a plastic w/holes poked in it covering it, placed in pretty direct sunlight), on 10/3/04. It just sprouted the day before yesterday. I'm veeery new at gardening and am happy that I got anything at all (I know I know, I'm starting a little late). So, I took the plastic off of the pot today, and I hope it doesn't die, as it is getting colder and colder. I planted it with a morning glory but I haven't seen that sprout yet.

I live in Maryland between DC and Baltimore zone 6b. I grew moon flowers on my deck in a container. I didn't do anything but put a few seeds in a mix of potting soil and peat moss. They grew like crazy up stakes in the pot and through my whole railing. I had numerous flowers from late july until the end of September. I grew mine in part sun. I had to water frequently but that was it. The smell was intoxicating.

My Mom got these seeds from a friend of my daughter-in-law.
We all live in the same area of northwest Mississippi. When she planted the seeds, she wasn't even sure how to nuture the plant, or exactly what it would look like. She planted in two spots, and now she has a lovely vine trailing up the wrought iron post and across a string at the side of her carport. Another vine makes its way up an old clothesline post. There are several beautiful, glowing white flowers each evening, with a distinct but delicate aroma. Both vines are brimming with seed pods, which I think are interestingly beautiful. She wasn't sure about how to harvest the seeds, but I have found that information on this site!

This is an interesting plant that can also be grown from rootings, spontaneous seedlings may be collected at vacant lots during rainy season and planted as well. Needs care for it not to become weedy; its flowers open at night with a sweet scent attracting bats.

I have been growing this plant for the last 4+ years. I first started growing it on a chainlink fence and then 3 years ago I upgraded and built a huge arbor that it grows up every year with other vines that I grow. It is very easy to grow once it gets started, I have found out that in texas if I plant it in february it won't grow very much but if I wait and grow it when summer is beginning in may or june it thrives and really takes off in nothing flat. It doesn't start blooming until august or september when I plant it so late.
But in my experience if I wait until the heat arrives then it grows otherwise if I plant it earlier in the season it grows a couple of inches and just stays at that height until the heat comes.
As far as taking care of it I purchase the seeds every year from a retail store. The only other thing I do is plant the seed when the weather starts to get really hot. I just plant the seed and flood it with water. When the texas heat starts to dry up the soil I just flood the seeds again. As you can tell I don't really fertilize the plants or do anything else. Every year I just buy the seeds plant them and watch them grow. They have been growing for the past 4+ years and every so often I thin them out cause the vines start to climb the tree that is over the arbor. I try to harvest the seeds when I can but majority of the time I have better luck just buying them from the store every year. Every year around november december the vine dies out and all that is left is the root, I have never had this plant come back the next year. Morning glory has come back the next year but I have never had moonflower do this. So I just plant it every year. This is a very fragrant plant. I hope this was helpful to everyone. If anyone knows of any other vines that bloom at night and aren't poisonus to animals ( i have 2 cats and a dog) I would like to know I am looking for other plants to grow other than the ones I do now which includes 2 types of jasmine, evergreen wisteria, potato vine, angel trumpet vine and occasionally morning glory and sweet pea

Ipomoea alba is a very hardy plant and, unlike many people believe, it does not need any fertilizer, just regular watering and something to twine around. The origin of this plant is uncertain but it's naturalized in many marshy sites of tropical areas. Can be propagated from root stocks and seeds and when doing so always remember to scarify seeds and plant it in well drained soil. The calyx teeth, when green, are edible in soups and the huge white flowers attract hawk moths( sphincidae family) at night, i personaly think it's worth watching it!

I have grown this plant on lattice at my back door for four or five years. I may have as many as thirty blooms in an evening, and the fragrance is wonderful. You can actually watch these blooms open. The seed need to be soaked for germination.

Grows wild in Florida and the Carribbean. It grows very fast down here. Tender tropical perennial vine. Heart shaped foliage attractive as well. Wonderfully fragrant enormous blooms at night, they smell like gardenias except more subtle. The smell of moonflowers is evident when walking on Florida beaches at night...the warm breezes and the wonderful scent.

Hullo. I'm in Singapore, in the tropics, and new to this plant, but I wanted something hardy to grow up a trellis. Amazingly I bought the seeds from England! I planted them mainly in pots a couple of weeks ago, and it's amazing that they're at different levels of growth. In spite of all the information about it doing best in full sun, they seem to do better in part sun in Singapore. I'm now waiting for them to shoot up. I've teamed them up with other varieties like the Tricolour and Grandpa Otts. Cheers, Peter.

Some of my Moonflower vines reseed themselves, but seem to wait until the ambient temperatures are very warm, around June, to germinate in the ground (NE Fla, borderline Zone 8b/9a), then bloom around September to frost. I've also collected and stored Moonflower seeds in plastic containers and stored some of them in the crisper of my refrigerator and some on the tool shed shelf. These vines make a lot of seeds when the vines grow well! Once you have a healthy vine with lots of flowers, you should have seeds to keep and share for a lifetime. I wasn't sure my seeds that were over a year old would germinate, but the ones I have planted this Spring are already up and growing. They seem to germinate quicker when the seeds are from a previous season! I don't do any special preparation of the seeds (such as nicking or soaking) and still get good germination.

If your Moonflower seeds don't germinate right away, don't give up on them. I planted some of my collected seeds in garden soil in small pots one year and some sprouted quickly while others showed no sign of growth. I dumped all the pots that didn't grow into one of my flower beds. A month or so later, I had Moonflower seedlings pop up in that flower bed. These seeds seem to have their own internal time clock that determines when they are ready to germinate and it seems to vary from seed to seed.

The resulting vines and flowers are worth whatever effort you may expend in getting them to grow. The late afternoon/evening display of fragrant blossoms is tremendous. Some flowers will last well into the morning on cool days. I've also noticed the flowers are visited frequently by hummingbird moths -- a surprise one evening when I noticed the bright shining eyes of a moth, illuminated by an outdoor security light, darting around amongst my Moonflower vines. Exquisite!

I can't, as yet, report that this plant is cultivatable in my coolish micro-climate zone, here on the Monterey Peninsula, CA.

Last year I purchased a packet of seeds, planted them all outdoors, and only one came up. It grew very slowly, spindly, and more or less languished, without ever blooming, until it expired in the fall/winter period.

This year, I've purchased another packet of seeds and am trying to germinate them indoors, where it's warmer. So far, after two weeks, I only have two spouts out of about 14 seeds. I can't even guarantee they're moonflower sprouts, since so far all I have are the two basal leaves.

After reading about this flower, it seems the one thing these plants absolutely require is heat. And by "heat" I mean HOT.

It never gets hot in my area. The average nighttime temps are in the 40's, 50's and low 60's in summer. The average daytime temps are 50's, 60's and low 70's in the summer. It almost never freezes here, but it also almost never gets "hot."

I'm planning on growing these in the sunniest, most wind-sheltered area of my garden.

Wish me luck, but so far, I'm not having much success with this plant.

I can grow Morning Glory just fine, though, which is why I'm still hopeful.

I plant seeds of this magestic vine every year next to my picket fence. I share seeds with as many people as possible, but for whatever reason, no one seems to appreciate the beauty and benefit this plant is to the environment. I am in awe of the copius amount of sweet smelling blooms it yields and I have a nightly ritual where I stand by my moonflowers at dusk and wait for the hummingbird moths to come and feed on the sweet necture. And feed they do!!!!! I counted 6 in 2 minutes just last night!!! I am able to stand silently near the blossoms and observe God's hand in action!!!! Gardening does that, you know. I am truly blessed by my heavenly moonflowers.

This is the first time I have tried to grow Moon Vines. I planted them in a very sunny part of my property, I have beautiful vines but so far No flowers.I started them in a wet paper towel in a warm place, all the seeds took off. I Planted them outside within 4 days in June. We have had some pretty HOT days 105, about 3 weeks in a row, would this stop the flowering?

This plant is great, the flower is nice and huge. The seeds took longer than expected to sprout, i even put them in water overnight. It took about month. After they had sprouted, the vine was growing like crazy. I do wish there were other colors besides white. Its very nice though and fast growing. Sometimes i cant find the seeds to buy and sometimes i can.

Perfect for late-season interest, nighttime companion to morning glories or Lablab. Ideal hottub/patio vine for fragrance. Do not allow to dry out, needs warm weather and a relatively long season.

I was able to grow this plant directly from seed (supported by a trellis facing west in my yard). The area received approximately 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, which I think was an absolute necessity. This vine is a vigorous grower.....I had a full trellis of foliage within a few weeks. The flowers that opened at night were mildly fragrant and beautiful, but were sometimes outweighed by the 'invasiveness' of this plant. I would literally have to prune this vine back every other day or so, to ensure that it would not overtake other plants in it's area. My next-door neighbor had a metal gazebo right next to the fence that the trellis was placed against....within a day or so, this vine would begin to reach over the fence and wrap around the gazebo. If you even left a shovel against the fence for a day or two, the vine would begin to reach for it. Luckily this plant is only an annual in this area....otherwise I would have had a real problem on my hands.

I've grown this plant for the last few years, the first year the summer was too cool, the second year I planted it and it did well but I missed the blooms because the vines sneaked into my greenhouse and I didn't look in there at night. And last year, I soaked the seeds too long and they rotted. Only soak the seeds over one night! I have a couple left so will try again this year.

Hello, I Live in The Bronx , New York. I planted the Moon Flower Vine seeds in my back yard last spring with Morning Glorys (Mixed & Heavenly Blue). I followed the instructions (soaking the seeds in warm water overnight) I planted all the seeds in the ground next to a metal fence ( Very Sunny) .
I wanted privacy & Wow it did the job fantastically. This Plant even grew across my other neighbor fence (she did not mind) & I also have elderly friendly neighbors which they also enjoyed the plant but at times they would snip the plant
( a tad bit)because it would block their entrance to a little gate- path ( I did not mind but it hurt me a little).
This plant grew rapidly, & tremendously beautiful . I received a lot of compliments. I also have a dog(Bichon Frise) & he does not mess with it (Pee's on it though) I've notice my plants growing again this year. Yeah! I'm so happy!... I'm planting some more Moon Plants & Morning Glory's (Mixed & heavenly blue) in a rectangle flower box to cover my backyard iron stairs & also for the front entrance driveway. Chao!

This plant is one of my favorites. I soaked the seeds overnight (sometimes 2 days), then put them in jiffy pellets. They sprout within a day or so. They're the "star" attraction for any "moon garden".

Just FYI to all who love Moonflowers(in which I am one). They are MORE than just a little bit toxic, every inch of this plant right down to the root system is HIGHLY TOXIC to dogs and small children. I have had these beauties in my front yard for 15+yrs.I gave some seed to my neighbor and some did come up in back yard (I did tell her that parts of the plant could make the dog sick) at the time I did not know just how toxic they could be. on a hot Aug. afternoon the dog bit at a bee on the flower, we thought he got stung, but that was not the case, in the matter of 10 mins. the dog went into convultions and died, he got a small piece of leaf in his mouth. This was not a small dog either( half Sheppard/Half Rottwieller.he weighed about 125lbs. So PLEASE DO NOT plant these deadly beauties where your Pets and Children play. Thanks Sonniesue2u

Having issues with Aphids. Bought an insecticide.....but still pinch one or two of those buggers off the half eaten leaves everyday. VERY annoying. The tips of new growth, at the very tip of the vine are black and I am worried that somethng else is worng with my Moonflower.
If anyone has any idea why the new growth is black please let me know.

Thanks,

This is my absolute favorite vine. I always save seed, from the year before. I soak seed between wet newspaper to speed germination. I have found, they don't like there roots disturbed so I prefer to plant directly in the ground after danger of frost is past in my region . Once they take off, they fill my trellis fully, the leaves are very attractive and I love the blooms and the fragrance. Loving the outdoors like I do, especially warm summer nights, nothing is better than the sight of the moon vine, the lovely fragrance and a glass of wine! I have submitted a picture, with the spinx moth at the bloom, The first time I saw one of these big moths i thought it was a humming bird with its nights and days mixed up..haha. scared me..I'm wiser now and love to see them enjoy my moon vine as much as I do.

I don't know what's going on. The first year, with no experience, I had loads of beautiful moonflowers.

This year, they are growing the green leaves but very spindly with offshoots of tiny sprouting stuff????

HELP!

I grew mine from seed as well, but I wasn't expecting a "vine" to be so thick! The flowers are coming like crazy, but I know for sure I can't let the seeds self sew or I will be in trouble! This thing is a monster already and I just started it this season. Thinking I will have to transplant to a better location. Flowers haven't as yet given any scent that I can detect.

When I first started growing moonflowers, my youngest daughter was about 4yrs old (fixin' to be 15 next wk!) and we'd sit there and watch the flowers open! It was such a good experience and made such good memories! I plant them every year, never had a problem w/ reseeding and think they smell like HEAVEN! Love 'em!

This plant surprised the heck out of me when I went out on my mother's deck at midnight and saw it blooming, while it had been dormant all day.

My mother got from my Aunt. They both live near Windsor, Ontario, Canada [Zone 5] and it is thriving (speading like mad!) year after year.

Here in Oklahoma, I start the seeds in peat pots in early March. I nick the seeds and set them right into the planting medium. It has been my experience that they resent repotting, hence the peat pots. They tolerate the heat here, and there is no lovelier smell in the garden. They don't voluteer well, so I plant them every spring.

I have six Moon Flowers growing in two different pots on my deck.The flowers are as descibed in other peoples comments, very fragrent, and white.To my surprise the flowers only open one time and fall off the next day.I dont think that I do anything wrong but I thought the flowers open again the next night.

Moonflowers have grown in my front yard for several years - as a perennial, in Detroit, MI. I got them from my Aunt, who has them growing wild in her yard. They seem to multiply every year. They must be re-seeding themselves. The blooms last only one or a few nights, but they grow new ones quickly.

Three or four vines of Moonflower appeared in a large hedge that separates our driveway from the house next door. We watched it climb, grow and bloom beautifully, and it's continued all summer. The soil is kept moist from the shade of the hedge and I'm sure it must be quite good soil to support these volunteers. I would like them to return next year and possibly have some in my gated garden in the yard. Any suggestions?

I felt very lucky to find this site. We almost pulled them out. thinking they were some kind of poison ivy, which we have also found in our backyard. We're not sure where that came from either. Well any way let me know any tidbits of advice ytou might have. Thanks!

I am growing moon flowers near Huntsville, Missouri. This year is the first year I have tried them. I had some trouble sprouting them indoors. Only four live plants from the whole packet. The ones that lived are doing great. I will grow them again next year, although based on information from this site it appears that I may have volunteers and that would be great.

I assume others are referring to some selected cultivar (with big flowers) of this species. Ipomoea alba (with small white flowers) grows here as a weed and is one of the worst in my veggie garden, very difficult to get rid of. I would have given it a negative but can I be the only one?

[HYPERLINK@plants.usda.gov] also shows this plant as a Noxious Weed in Arizona and Arkansas (40 miles to the south). It's hardly #1 in my book!

This is my first year at attempting gardening. A neighbor gave me some moon flower seeds which I planted in late May. By the middle of July I got beautiful flowers that smelled great. But are there different breeds of moon flowers because my moonflowers are more of a bush than vine and the seed pods are almost scary looking because they are covered with spikes all over it? I planted them around a tree in my back yard with morning glory vines behind them closest to the tree. It turned out ok considering I had no idea what I was doing but, not really what I expected.

Digital_Dave, Moonflowers (I. alba) are not noxious weeds or even naturalized in Arkansas or Arizona according to the USDA. Your link took me to a general page for the Ipomoea genus, but the I. alba page also mentions that unspecified members of the genus Ipomoea are considered noxious weeds in Arkansas and Arizona.
If you click on the state name at the bottom of the page, it will give you more information on invasive or noxious species in those states, but I. alba is never mentioned. Arizona considers all members of the genus, with few exceptions, noxious weeds because of their potential to be invasive. It is preventative, but nowhere is it mentioned that moonflowers are themselves invasive. They are native to some areas of the United States.

I do not know what wild plants in other places look like, but in my area of Florida the plants, including the flowers, look just like the available cultivars. They might look different in your area.

These plants thrive in poor, dry soil and full sun. If they aren't flowering, they are probably being overwatered. The ones I have grown have always died at the end of summer, after fruiting profusely, never making it through Fall (I'm in extreme SE Florida, so it's not because of the temperatures here). Growing on the East side of the wall, mine have always opened up in the evening before nightfall.

I have grown moonflowers from seeds for the past 10 years. In all, I have had only 2 seasons where I got little to no luck with them. While they are a bit tough to get going, with the sight and smell (sort of jasmine-like) of these, the effort is worth it.

My advice is to start the seeds indoors, and baby them a little. These are the last plants I transplant outdoors, and move them to the tressil on our deck. As long as they get enough water, they will not dissapoint.

I planted Moonflowers for the first time last year and was overjoyed with the result. I often entertain on my patio on summer nights, and the moonflowers were a spectacular display. They grew up along stakes against my shed and then spread across the patio on the lantern strings. I had no idea how large the blossoms would be, nor how striking in their simplicity. Even the buds are suprisingly beautiful. They were especially lovely in the early morning beside my just waking Morning glories.

Ipomoea alba; is a lovely tender annual here in my 7b zone. Many could be confused with its cousins the 'morning glories', and further more. Some may have mistaken 'datura' with the Moonflower because the similarity in flower-shape. And shared characters i.e. the white trumpet flowers only open at night, or cloudy days. The marked difference, Moonflower are vining habit, and the trunk could be slightly purplish green and big. Whereas 'datura' is a shrub, and is appears to be tender perennual here in my area. Both are lovely and can serve as a beautiful back drop for other colorful plants in the garden. Ipomoea alba do self seed, or grow indoor. The seeds coats are quite tough soaking the seeds (with luck warm water) over night will speed up germination. In my area, some of my left-over seeds will grow naturally without fuss. While browsing, weeding my flower bed in early spring, I carefully lift the volunteers seedlings, and planted them where I've some means for them to climb on. The plants don't seem to require much care other than adequate moisture, lot of sunshines. They look wonderful too; climbing small trees. The only problem is to get them off the trees after the growing season is quite a chore. If you plant these; don't forget to visit them at night, early in the morning, after sunset. Otherwise, you've missed out all of its glory.

this plant grows like a weed in this arewa. We are in the caost redwoods about 1/2 mile from the ocean and each winter they die down and each spring the climb and bloom.
We live in Crescent City, Calif

Easy to grow in south Louisiana, just below Baton Rouge.
I take no extra care with the seed, just dig hole about 1" deep and drop in seed..... nothing special done beforehand such as soak, scrape, etc. I have had 100% germination success and let vines trail along top of fence. Fun to watch the flowers open late in the evening... start to finish opening takes about 30 seconds... after all the leaves just separate.

An elderly couple who lived next door gave me a young Moonflower plant about 25 years ago. The couple has passed on, but the Moonflowers are still going strong. I 've never had to save and plant the seeds or fertilize. If the blossoms slow down I give it a good watering. I really enjoy the flowers - they are at least as large as my hand, spectacularly beautiful and honey bees seem to like them.

Lightning bug in Rockford, MN

I grew this vine per my Mama's advice around my deck in North Carolina and they were superb! The blooms kept coming. I now live in MN and have tried to sow seeds outdoors in ground for 3 yrs and this year I've gotten three seedlings out of about 20 seeds. I've transplanted to a large pot at the bottom of my deck and so far have 1 vigorous climber and 1 hopeful, 1 not doing much at all. I pray that I get a couple of flowers this year which will help me to feel a little closer to home. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I will update in a couple of months. If this works, I think I will plant each year along any old fence along our country roads as a suprise for northern gardeners in my area.

I planted moonflower seeds this year for the first time. I planted them directly in the ground after nicking and soaking them, as is suggested. I thought it would never come up, but when it did, the thing went ballistic. It's starting to get a "Little Shop of Horrors" feel to it; I'm afraid to stand too close or turn my back. If you don't mind a vine with dreams of world domination, go ahead and plant it, otherwise you might want to rethink it. I haven't experienced the flowers yet. I would have thought that it would have bloomed by now. Many plants here in southeast Alabama are starting to '"poop out" by now. I haven't lost hope for the blooms, yet, though. I noticed that a few other folks in my neck of the woods have had late blooms, so we'll see.

I have loved this plant since I was a child. I was born in Louisiana, and lived in New Orleans, where we had a moonflower vine for several years. The scent in the evening is unbelievable.

I've lived in north-central Indiana now for thirty-five years, and plant Moonflower seeds about every year. I don't nick the seeds...I soak them overnight before planting in trays in late February. then move them to a covered patio to harden off after the last frost. They're fast-growers, and by mid-summer, they've covered my trellis from one side to the other and half-way back again.

I can't grow this plant. I have tried 3 years without success. I put them directly in the ground, soaked them several days until they cracked open, planted them indoors in pots. They did come up indoors and looked great until I transplanted them outside in the spring in a protected planter/trellis. I give up!

I bought a packet of seeds of blue moonflower. (I have grown the white also). Oh and what I have reaped from this little pack of seeds! It is VERY aggressive and invasive. It took over our deck. It freaked me out, consuming our deck lights to the point where you couldn't see them. The vine wasn't very fragrant. I thinned it out so many times. I grew to hate it.I finally just pulled it all up (an all day job). It had not set seeds yet. But it still came back. Every day I would see a shoot. Three years later I am still pulling this stuff up. I don't think it will ever go away. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they are ready for total coverage

I planted Moon Vine for the very first time this year. I love it! It took a while to get started but once it did it just took off. It is flowering for me now and the blooms are huge! They have a faint fragrance and the coverage is unbelievable. You can barely see my trellis' at all(I have them on two 1-in ground 1-in a whiskey barrel on the patio. I will definately plant them out again. The fact they re-sow may be a positive for me.

This was a plant I have always known about, but did not grow till 3 years ago. My neighbor gave me the seeds. I soaked them overnight, then planted in a pot. They take awhile to germinate. In fact I gave up on some this year, and "dumped" them out. Three weeks later they came up
in the garden! They love the Hot, they love the sun.
The nighttime flowers are lovely.

Question; What indication do you get (if any) before the flower is about to open? Ours pods are about 3-4 inches in length and green. Thanks.

I was told that what I have is moonflower. However, mine is not a vine and has very thick stems w/ prickly seed pods. VERY fragrant @ night and are the size of a plate when they bloom. They are about 3ft. tall. If anyone knows what this is if it not moonflower, please let me know. It seems to fit all of the characteristics except it is not a vine.
THANKS!!!!

I have never been so amazed by a plant/flower in my life. I am in awe every night it blooms. The most blooms we have had on one of our plants is 9 in one night, and that has happened twice.....so far. I have over 400 pictures in our Moon Flower file and I do not see it getting any smaller. We are going to have so many seeds ffrom just one of our plants, we are going to give them away in our Christams cards.
As far as growing tips, lots of sun , lots of love, and a little luck is all you need. The 2 plants that we have in our back yard came up all by themselves. A gift from the grave if you will. They were Grandmom's favorite and have not grown for years. We recently got married and believe the moon vines are a small blessing and approval from someone special. Anyway that is what I choose to believe.

This is my second year to try and grow this and I finaly was able to get it going! In fact, just now I watched the very first flower bloom! That was deffinately a treat! It smells great! I will deffinately be growing these again, and again, and again.

A neighbor gave me some small Moonflower seedlings this past spring, But the type I have seem different from the vines that I just read about. Mine are about 3-4 feet tall and very thick sturdy stems, they have large green spiny seed pods the size of golf balls, no vining habit at all, just sturdy shrub like plants. If anyone has any info on this type Id sure appreciate it. Id also like to find the vine variety. Mine has bloomed profusely all summer with little or no attention here in Laurel DE.

I have a plant similar that my father called a moonflower, but it grows more like small tree...than a vine. The flowers are similar but smaller ....and open at dusk also. They have a sort of bluish/purple tint, but dont seem to have the strong aroma like the big white ones. It also grows spiny seed pods...many many of them. Is this a version of a moonflower?

I'm very new to gardening, and just started planting moonflowers last year. I bought a plant from a nursery last year, but this year I also started some from seeds. Now they're going nuts! I had 11 blooms last night, and I absolutely love them. My boyfriend and I pull up chairs and sit and watch the flowers open. My cats like to watch, too. What an incredibly beautiful flower, and the vines have covered the lattice around my patio very nicely. I have morning glories next to them, and they're all doing very well.

(Raleigh, NC zone 7)
I found this kind of moonflower vine while searching for a different kind of moonflower that I've only seen in my mom & dad's yard in Pennsylvania. The moonflowers growing in my parents' garden come back each and every year for over the last decade, and aren't vines. Whatever they are, they have spiky seed balls, and produce white, heavenly trumpets every summer night into fall. Can't get the seeds from mom and dad's plants to grow here and haven't been able to find established plants here... This spring I bought a pack of Ipomoea moonflower seeds out of curiosity, to see if they'd be anything like the lovely scented blooms I was so familiar with.

I have been delighted with my moonflower vine! It's not the same as the moonflower I grew up with, but its blooms are just as beautiful-- and yes, they're huge! Mine was slow to bloom since I planted the seeds late (sowed directly into ground in hot afternoon sun in very poor soil). The first bloom I saw took my breath away-- the scent is out of this world, I've personally never smelled anything like it. If there was a moonflower vine scented perfume I would wear it. The flower is gorgeous, delicate, fragrant, inspiring! If only I had planted it up the front trellis instead of letting it sprawl in the back garden. It has begun climbing up a long stalk of my pigeon berry bush extending about 10 feet or so. Mine is not extremely floriferous and regrettably I don't get a chance to go out back in the night and witness every beautiful bloom. I'm going to go try giving it some Miracle Grow-- I guess if it's doing well without any maintenence it could do better with some nutrients! I'm definitely getting another pack of seeds next year, and hoping for volunteers.

I've grown Moonvine in the past and was so disappointed by it. I decided to give it one more try this year and I'm so glad I did! I put 2 plants at the bottom of my porch railing and they've been wonderful, blooming like crazy and smelling so sweet! Too bad we can't bottle that scent! LOL The only downside is the wasps- they love the sweet milky sap that's trapped inside the buds and they are all over them. I also have a few moonvine plants at my back deck- climbing over a trellis that was relocated after a storm ripped it out of the ground. I love sitting out there with my beautiful white flowers. Hoping for lots of seeds to share, and also to use next year.

This was one of the first plants I ever grew. I've found Moonflowers very easy here in Southeast Louisiana at least. I love them because they grow fast and they are so big - the leaves and the flowers are both gigantic.

I bought a pack of seeds (lasted two years) and soaked them in wet paper towels on a plate until they sprouted. Then I put each sprout in a little peat pellet. They got big fast and then I stuck them into a bed I had prepared by simply digging up the grass, turning the soil, and sprinkling some potting soil and peat moss over the top (I was a beginner then, sorry). There was a lattice at the back of the bed for the vine to grab onto. At first I watered them every morning but when life got hectic and my garden was neglected these guys did well still. They grow amazingly fast so I think they are great for the beginner who needs some instant gratification. I love the way they cover everything. I had one in a pot and I was training it up the porch moving a few thumb tacks up each day to hold up the new shoots. We've moved (but not far) and I plan on trying these guys in hanging baskets and definitely throwing some in the ground to cover up the fences and walls. I know they will perform!

the flowers are beautiful,i planted them at my front porch ,and opened the windows.they made the house smell great and i got lots of complements from everyone ,the only bad thing is they attract wasps, lots of them. i got stung several times. so next year they will go on the fence.

Two years ago I bought a moon vine plant from a local nursery and planted it around a bluebird house on a 4x4. The soil was not the greatest and the plant only produced a few mediocre blooms. So I decided to buy a pack of seeds last spring and plant them around my deck. From 5 seeds came this "jack & the beanstalk" plant with the most beautiful blooms I had ever seen each late afternoon. Some nights there would be 100+ blooms. The Sphinx moths would come out and what a sight. I think I have gotten more pleasure out of this plant than any I have ever planted and will definitely do it again next year. It took over the arbor at the end of my deck, grew underneath and came up on the 2nd set of steps and was just glorious.

I watered heavily and fertilized with MG liquid each week, sometime twice a week. With the dry summer we've had, it took alot of water to keep it going.

I planted 4 moonvines seeds this spring. It took a while for them to get started but when they did. WOW! The plant covered the railing on one side of my wooden deck. I had as many as 40 blooms each evening. They would open around 4:00PM and still be open the next morning. Large white blooms. I didn't notice much fragance from my blooms. But they are beautiful. Actually still blooming now in November her in Tennessee. I will cut down as soon as frost starts to kill it. I don't think it will re-seed since I'm in zone 6.

great plant! Took a while for it to start blooming, but when it did, it went nuts! I planted maybe 4-6 seeds directly in the ground under a 4ft fence and had as many as 50 blooms at one time! just today I got some of the seeds out of the pods and have probably 500 seeds. are they sellable?

question: is this plant poisonous to pets or kids? the neighbors dog seems to want to chew on the pods.

I love this plant but it does not do well in my zone/climate/short growing season in central Colorado. I started the seeds inside very early to give them a head start(Feb or March). Once I put them outside (late May) it took FOREVER to get going and it ended up blooming only a handful of blooms before our first hard frost (early Oct) so it never got seed pods set. It does great in Houston though (used to live there) with humidity and a long growing season.

I had great luck in Maryland growing Moon Flower from seed (7a). My luck directly from seed has been average here. They tend to flower very late into the summer season, usually late August or beginning of Sept. The store bought one I put in flowered at least a month earlier. It was also stronger and flowered more often. This year I started seeds to grow good sized plants to put out. I hope this will work better.

Those of you who are have the woody plant with the spiky seedpods do not have Ipomoea alba, but instead you have Datura. Do a search of the Plant Files on Datura and you will find more information.

I'm rating it positive only because my mother has had success with these (ipomoea). Hers were absolutely beautiful, two years in a row. I've failed with them twice, and I'm trying again, one last time! I've planted seeds already and am waiting for them to come up. My problem was not enough sun. My mom had hers where they got sun from morning till afternoon, then they were shaded from the hottest evening sun by the house and trees. I'm putting these this year where they'll get more sun, but they won't be close to the house where I can enjoy them more!

I've noticed that pillbugs (roly-polys) absolutely love the seedlings of moonflowers. Once I had some attack a seed that had barely germinated....ate the seedling before it even got out of the seed pod! I've had to start them in peat pots to avoid this. They don't bother them once they get bigger.

They also seem to be kind of thirsty.

I have just heard of this plant from this site. I ran out and bought seeds. Hearing all the great descriptions, I am so looking forward to planting seeds and seeing amazing results!! I got a lot of helpful info from here, being that I'm new to gardening. Thanks!

This is a romantic plant that is just right for planting at the base of a fence or trellis near your patio. I have no problem getting Moonflower to germinate here in Middle Tennessee but do soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting. Mine do better if mulched with leaf compost and watered frequently. I also companion plant "Cardinal Climbers" and "Morning Glory", making a beautiful combination of colors on my trellis.

From your friends at Botanical Interests: Moonflower is an annual 10'-20' vine, related to Morning Glories. It's 5"-6" huge white flowers bloom from mid-summer to first fall frost. Unlike, their morning-blooming relatives, Moonflower's twisted buds unfurl at dusk. It is deliciously fragrant with large heart-shaped leaves. Plant this fast growing vine on the front porch, deck, patio, or under a window where you can enjoy its evening performance and heady fragrance. Watch as the flowers unfold in 2-3 minutes!

Hey,
I live in Sandusky Ohio, northern Ohio, and this plant does well here, but dies completely out in the winter. I tried planting a bunch of different things last summer, but I considered the Moonvine to be my greatest success.
I soaked the seeds 2 nights in a bowl of water to soften the shell. Than planted them in a small containers with very LIGHT potting soil, and set them in the sun. Watering one to two times a day in hotter weather. I let them mature a bit,(at least a long vine and some leaves), before transplanting in the ground. this is important. Because the light potting soil, and allowing them to develop large leaves and some vines, I noticed, by the end of it, produced MUCH MORE blooms.
I didn't end up getting blooms until fall, though, August/September. But, boy was it rewarding. They ARE AWESOME. The smell is very strong.
They are very hardy, too, and easy to transplant. that's why I liked them. It grows very quickly, although the flowers only last one day and night, the blooms come nonstop, and profusely.
Although they die here in the winter, I'm gonna just replant them again for the year. It's worth the effort.

I have been growing moonflowers in Jackson, Mississippi for several years now, always with spectacular results. They seem to do best with morning light, but that might simply be because I've only had an eastern exposure in which to grow them. I also plant the vines much closer together than recommended (again, this also might be because my space is limited), which they don't seem to mind at all. Like most vines, they like their roots cool and deep. I soak the seeds overnight to soften the hulls and then slit them with an exacto knife before planting.