PlantFiles: Tall Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea 'Grandpa Ott's'

The flowers are seductively beautiful, but self-sown seedlings are a real hazard; many are set, and seemingly every one germinates.

I have had Morning Glories gracing the short fence area on left side of the house for 4 years now they have stayed in the same area covering that portion of fence only (about 12 feet of fencing)and not spreed out. I provided a 1 foot deep potting mixture and native clay in an 8 ft long 1 1/2 feet wide brick lined edging and they tend to stay within that bed and on that fence. In 4 years they have not encroched on any other portion of fence or yard. I don't train them i just let them do their own thing and it seems to know what i will accept. I do let it grow onto the gate, when first opened it breaks off some vines but not a problem. I like the look as 3 different colors grow in same area. I have tried growing other flowers in that bed, but the morning glory vines do want to smother them to death so it is just for them. The only drawback at least from my viewpoint is the cleanup of the fencing after they die out.

There is a purple one growing just on the edge of some wetlands on my street. It's beauty graces the road side for my morning walk & I have longed for some seeds. Being unfamiliar with this plant, have not figured out what the seeds look like so I can collect them. From reading the specifics about this plant I assume it should be fine for xeriscaping. I would gladly trade the invasion of Morning Glory for that dreaded air potato vine I've been battling for 30 years.

I have had morning glories in the front raised bed of my house for over 20 years. The bed is south facing and fairly dry and they seem to have no trouble at all. Other than to clean the bedd out in the fall/spring, they are very little work. They do not have anyting to climb, but they interwine with each other and provide themselves with support. They self seed freely, but I rarely have seedling outside the bed. Even when I do, they are easily uprooted. These were seeded over 20 years ago, and have never been added to since. They are a very tough plant.

An absolutely beautiful flower that self sows every year. It stays contained in the bed it was planted in, and grows beautifully up the side of our house - getting many compliments! Seeds are easy to gather.

Because they self sow, I have morning glories growing in every nook and cranny of my backyard. They add great color and whimsy, grow throughout the entire year, and attract hummingbirds. The negatives are that they wrap around everything and leave behind a tangled mess when they die. Otherwise, their low maintenance gives them added attraction.

This is the first year I have grown these. I did learn many important lessons! Plant few seeds, Stay on top of the growing vines, water regular,they do better in ground than in pots, dont go on vacation with out a plant sitter! I have trained mine to encompas the porch, and WOW! soo beautiful. I have the most fun training them. Will choke anything else out. Attracts birds & bee's and those pesky Jap. beatles. I will be keeping them for years if I can figure out where the seedheads are.

Very pretty on railings and grown with black eyed susan vine!

I live in central maine and this is my first year with morning glory's. Mine have finally bloomed, late July to mid August. Had a problem with Japenese beetles, but is under control and am getting beautiful blooms. ~ Sherry

I've grown morning glories for several years now and although I love my Heavenly Blues and the mixes that have graced my porch railing, I have to say that Grandpa Ott's is my new favorite! The color is just gorgeous- a dark, rich purple! Easy to grow, prolific bloomer. I kept them away from other mg's this year to ensure that there wasn't any cross pollination. I will continue to grow these for sure!

I planted Grampa Ott morning glories around an ugly old post in my yard 4 years ago - to my delight, they self-seeded and have come back strong every year since. The foliage is a beautiful rich green, and dense, completely enveloping the post. The flowers are deep purple with magenta centers. It flowers for more than a month in late summer. The seeds are very easy to collect - after the foliage dies out, you will see a spherical seed pod where each flower had been. Once dry, each pod releases approximately 5 black seeds, a little smaller than a peppercorn. After the vines die, I pull them off the pole that they were growing on and give them a good shake over a piece of newspaper, and quickly collect dozens of seeds. Or, you can pick the individual pods. There are always many seeds that have dropped on the ground around the dead vines, and these always germinate in the spring despite the harsh Vermont winter, without any additional care or mulching. I have not had problems with these becoming invasive, though I mow the grass around them and this takes care of any seedlings that might have strayed. I tried to start them in a shady spot in my yard and did not have much luck. They seem to need lots of light, and will grow well in full sun even in poor soil and with little to no extra watering. I have moved, but before I left I made sure to gather some Grandpa Ott seeds and bring them to my new home!

Love this one! There are reported to be many look-alikes being passed off as Grandpa Ott's that are actually not. If you want to make sure you get the real one, then go to the source- Seed Savers Exchange.

From Seed Savers catalog : "One of the original Bavarian varieties that started SSE. Given to Kent and Diane (Ott) Whealy in 1972 by her grandfather, Baptist John Ott. He lived on a 40-acre farm near St. Lucas Iowa. Beautiful deep-purple flower with a red star in its throat. Reliably self-seeds each year. Plants will climb 15' or more, if given support. Self-seeding hardy annual at Heritage Farm."

I grew Heavenly Blue MGs from seed and planted on two 8' sections of my privacy fence. I purchased 3 potted Grandpa Ott's from a nursery, placing each on another 8' section of fence adjacent to the HBs. The Ott's took off in a lush wall of very large, dark green, foliage spanning from ground to the top of the fence. The HBs, by contrast, grew straight to the top of the fence and pooled there with light green, smaller, leaves and stringy runners. I plan to purchase Grandpa Ott's for every 8' section of privacy fence I have this year. They are gorgeous, provide privacy, and draw so many compliments! Hopefully some of them will come back on their own, if not they're definitely worth the money to buy.

Beautiful blooms of electric violet purple! I love that this vine seems to climb EXACTLY where I want it to go! I think this is easily the best MG I've ever grown. I've grown Heavenly Blue, and Scarlett O'Hara, but this one has the nicest vines and the most amazing flowers.

I have a rather large stand of Grandpa Ott's growing on my chain link fence. The vines have been there for at least 10 years(that's when I bought the house), but have never produced any seedpods. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Is the vine too old to produce seeds?I live in the panhandle of Florida and some winters the thing never dies back.

This is the first year that we have planted this morning glory. The flowers are so beautiful. They are also attractive to hummingbirds. We kept it trimmed back so it didn't go into the neighbor's backyard. It seemed like every seed that fell from the plant has already sprouted but there are still many on the plant that we are saving for next year if the current year's seeds don't automatically reseed next Spring.

I love these vines and their almost psychedelic blooms. I have heard of them as invasive, as a weed, but in my slim 2 years growing experience have never experienced them as anything but a delight. They bloom early and often, vine fairly quickly. I do find they are a favorite treat of caterpillars here in Louisiana, but if you leave anywhere that isn't so intensely bug infested, that shouldn't be a problem.