Thanks very much for the id--I knew some of you would have the answer. Next season I will pay more attention to it earlier in the season. Right now, don't think it looks its best. LOL. I googled it after learning the name. When in bloom it is kind of pretty. Photo borrowed from UMASS Extension site:

Hey Fran - The Flying Saucers (as most Ipomoea tricolor) usually have 5 ribs supporting the corolla,but if the bloom only produces 4 ribs,the blooms take on the square look...I think it's an interesting look,although I haven't seen any that will produce square blooms consistently...yet... The Ipomoea purpurea that you posted is what I have been calling a 'solid' flaked... http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/95591/ the background is mostly solid coloration with darker streaks in it... The Ipomoea tricolor Heavenly Blue can often show signs of impaired pigmentation along with some possible tissue damage to the delicate corolla membrane when the temperatures drop...the corolla can have difficulty opening and the bloom tips usually get the 'frostbite' an result in the usual blue pigmentation being replaced by the look of the 'frostbitten' fuchsia...the same color can appear if the tissue has the upper layer 'torn' during difficult openings or otherwise sustains any damage...I see it as part of the general color changes that Autumn brings... The Ipomoea purpurea in the last photo has hige genes...these can often show entire corollas with various degrees of extra corolla tissue becoming shredded to create the frills that spice up the rear of the bloom...the hige gene can also skip a generation... Thanks for sharing your blooms... Ron

Not considering myself expert but, given the dark color of the spines on your "fake" enopla, it could be a true heptagona :) There are several varieties in this group that are difficult to distinguish. It will be easier to ID as your plant grows older, flowers etc

Moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate, because they measure electrical conductivity - not moisture. For proof, stick the clean tip of a meter in a cup of distilled water and go, "Hmmm", when the meter tells you the water is dry. It LOOKS like over-watering, but hard to say. Your plant service is forced to water if your service person suspects the plant will suffer drought stress before (s)he returns a week later. That's not ideal. Ideal is, water when the plant actually need it, not because you won't be back for a week. That, coupled with the moisture meter's probable inaccuracy, would seem to open the door to potential root health issues. You might ask if you can take control of the plant's watering, then use a 'tell' to 'tell' you when it actually needs water. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al