Did you plant by seed or transplants? I've planted Heavenly Blues by transplants for many years, but the the last three years I've found them to grow slow and bloom late. The Grandpa Otts self seeded (unfortunately, ALL over)and grew to bloom earlier. So, I might try direct sowing the HB next season.

Yours look wonderful, so much bloom all at once covering the plant like that. The blues are my favorite.

schoolhouse

Thanks for looking and comments. I sowed the seeds, but
they reseed also.I now have some grandpa otts seeds
and plan to sow some of them next year, just because they
are earlier and deeper blu/purple. This is the 3rd year
for these HB. Happy gardening, caroline

Well, as for the Grandpa Otts; I would not plant them again, in fact I'd like to be rid of them. It is very prolific at self seeding and takes over the fence, climbing up and over the HB. Even if I dead head spent blooms, some seed manages to escape me. Wish the Heavenly Blue would self sow for me, but I never see young seedlings in the Spring.

Your MG are beautiful. They are my favorite vines-especially the HB. I use to have HB reseed every year, and they bloomed late, because they were in partial shade.

Wow, those are gorgeous! I hadn't planted HBs for awhile, but I went back to them this year. For some reason I don't have lots of luck with MGs. Could be all the neglect they get, lol.

I never planted Grandpa Otts (and never may, now, lol) but I have planted Star of Yelta, and oh man! Talk about reseeding! Last year I was almost obsessive about deadheading, and I did a pretty good job of getting rid of most of them - only a few reseeders this year.

I wish the HBs would reseed like that too.

:)
Dee

Bunny
&
Dee

Thank you, they did better this year than before, but still
don't reseed too bad. I have heard the grandpa otts
are bad about that. I may plant both next year,:) I have
another large oblisk for them. Happy gardening, caroline

I sowed 2 Heavenly Blue seeds in little pots in late May. Once they had a few leaves (roots coming out bottom of pots!) I cut off bottom of pot and sunk it in ground behind mail box. Took until mid-August to bloom and I doubted it would ever bloom so gave it shot of phosphorus (or some nutrient that starts with "p" of which I now have whole bag...LOL) after reading suggestion on forum. It bloomed right after that but might have been normal time and I was just impatient.
It looks pretty ratty by now all piled up with dead leaves on inside of vine tangle but it's still blooming on the south side of vine mass.
I collectedd seeds because people who see it want seeds but I still have whole pack marked (sell by 11/08)from spring (minus two sown) and was wondering if seed pack will be viable for sowing spring next year.
Seeds taken from vine are visibly smaller than original seeds from packet. Dumb question...are they just as viable as packet seeds?
Guess I could always try damp paper towel in plastic bag germinating test early next year so I still have time to buy more seed it they're not viable.
If I planted nothing else next year my father and neighbors would be happy just to see that Heavenly Blue morning glory mounded up like a tangled mess of vine and beautiful bloomes...LOL.
Now I feel jinxed by first year success (lucky with good purchased seed pack!) and know some seeds just don't perform from reading posts of others who have rows of them!

A dumb newbie experience: I "deadheaded" blooms almost every morning in attempt to prevent rampant reseeding. Unfortunately, I found out around last week of September that the seed pods are under the spent blooms and they were left behind after bloom removal all over the massive hydra vine...LOL. There are more seed pods than leaves on vine right now although I've cut or plucked lots of them off. Live and learn.

Newbie, glad you enjoyed the HB's. I neglect them , and they make it all on their own, I never have dead headed
them, but a few show up on their own. I don't know about
the seeds coming true to the plant. I don't try to save
their seeds. I have used other seeds that have expired by
a year or more. I was too imapatient one year and pulled all the vines off, BEFORE they bloomed, I live and learn also :). Happy gardening.caroline

Wow! Gorgeous!

Karen

Thanks Karen, glad you saw them, had a heavy frost this last week and I pulled them all down as they were finished.
I am ready to start WS in a few weeks. Happy gardening,
caroline

Caroline, your HB was gorgeous even if blooms were late for you.

A MG vine zapped by frost isn't a pretty sight...LOL. Took it down the morning I went out and saw it in all its pathetic frozen glory.

I'm wondering if I can put an obelisk right behind the mailbox and just train some of the vines forward toward the mailbox. It was just too heavy on the mailbox post alone, which now needs to be repainted after its MG ordeal, and reached out to strangle all plants around it.

I was so happy it grew at all I would have left it up there even if it hadn't bloomed...LOL.

Just finished raking leaves, cleaning out beds and planting bulbs. This gardening thing just never ends if you get into winter sowing...LOL.

Got seeds, soilless mix and enough containers to start all lined up. Not finished getting seeds but have enough to start.

Once I saw that HB MG in bloom it's a definite for every year!

Dee, I have packet of Star of Yalta seeds and I'm very tempted to rig up some support for a couple of those if I can loosen up clay soil enough along driveway for MG roots to grow. There are a couple of nooks among the large boxwood and holly that are perect for bursts of color. If I prune the bushes early enough the MG shouldn't be in the way. Amended large squares 24" deep for gladiolus but they mostly rotted under there. Ones that put up foliage were nibbled to the ground by the rabbits. Maybe Datura metal is more what I need in those nooks...LOL.

Leslie

Hello Leslie, I am glad you liked the HB MG, If we hadn't had a frost they would still be blooming as we are having
summer weather last couple weeks. I would think you could
"train"one vine to your mail box post. These tried to climb
my Blazing star several times and covered up my Holly Hocks
below , found one blooming down under it later :) I will
prob plant some "grandpa otts" in the spring. And just maybe plant some HB again, now that I know they are so late
blooming. I didn't know there was so many cultivars till
after I had these planted. Live and learn !! I too am
planning on WS in a few weeks.This will be my secong yr.
Had good luck in my milk jugs . Happy Thanksgiving.
caroline

Leslie, just a word of warning (again, lol!) - if you do grow Star of Yelta, do try to deadhead. They really are very prolific and you will have more than you could ever possibly want or need the next year!

:)
Dee

Dee, I think I'll take the reasonable route and use the Heavenly Blue in those spots along the driveway. It'll probably look better to repeat the HB at such a short distance from mailbox bed.

I tried to justify using Star of Yalta since that area is covered in multiple layers of hardwood mulch and the ground is solid clay where poor gladiolus bulbs rotted underground.

It would be ironic if something prolific managed to reseed among all that mulch in rotten dirt...LOL. I impulsively sprinkled some Cherry Cleome seeds around those little nooks along the driveway during the Summer. I'll be out there come Spring with my laptop trying to distinguish possible Cleome sprouts from all the weeds I'm constantly pulling from the driveway mulch. They thrive on top of the darn landscape cloth that's been there for decades under all the mulch piled on over the years.

Consider the warning heeded, Dee...LOL.

I'm sailing along assuming there won't be any HB volunteers since I again amended that front bed then added 12" top layer of loamy soil to improve drainage and rearranged perennials to get ready for Spring redesign.