Name: Ipomoea alba, aka moonflower

Type of Plant: A fast growing annual vine for sun and part-sun.

Why I Love/Hate this plant: If you want an annual vine that will quickly create a privacy screen for the summer, this plant is for you. If you wish for a plant that will produce large, slightly fragrant flowers at night in the late-summer, this is for you. If you love plants that are intriguing and elegant…yup, for you again! And if you have a hot tub where you like to relax on a late summer or fall evening, this plant is a must-grow-nearby selection.

A Word to the Wise: Here are the things you need to know about moonflower vines: they grow very large. Two will cover a trellis that is eight feet wide and twelve feet tall.

Secondly, they don’t flower until mid-August. These plants are triggered into flowering by shortening hours of daylight. So if you want flowers on your trellis from May on, plant a Mandevilla along with the Moonflower so you’ve got all summer blooming.

Don’t plant Ipomoea alba too early in the spring. This is a plant that doesn’t do well in cool weather, so wait until the nights are reliably above 50 degrees before planting. If you’re growing from seed, don’t start too early inside and soak seeds in water for 12 hours before planting.

The heart shaped leaves on this plant are worth growing for the foliage alone. Know that the vines on this railing are on a second floor balcony! Moonflowers grow 12 to 16 feet in one summer.

The large white flowers open around 4 PM and close the next morning just after dawn. So perfect for the cocktail hour, or for a trellis near a firepit.

Combine moonflower with Mandevilla vine so that you have pink and white plus flowers over a longer period of time.