Ipomoea purpurea

The common morning glory — a fast, free-twining climber hung with broad purple, blue, pink and white trumpets that open fresh each morning.
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Ipomoea purpurea — the common morning glory

Ipomoea purpurea is the botanical name for the common morning glory, a fast, free-twining climber hung with broad, trumpet-shaped flowers in purple, blue, magenta, pink and white that open fresh each morning. It is the species behind our ipomoea range within the flower seed collection.

History & origin

Native to Mexico and Central America, morning glory has been cultivated for centuries and quickly spread worldwide as an easy, exuberant ornamental climber, naturalising readily in warm regions wherever it found a fence or hedge to scramble through.

The genus name Ipomoea derives from the Greek ips, a worm or bindweed, and homoios, resembling, for its twining habit, while purpurea means purple, for the typical flower colour.

Botanical characteristics

A vigorous annual climber that twines several metres in a season, it carries heart-shaped leaves and a long succession of silky trumpets, each lasting a single morning but produced in great profusion. The open flowers draw bees and other pollinators, placing it among our pollinator flowers, while its rapid, tendril-free twining makes it one of our most popular climbing flowers.

Growing Ipomoea purpurea from seed

Soak or nick the hard seed coat to speed germination, then sow under cover in mid spring or direct once warm. Plant into full sun against a trellis, wires or netting in a sheltered spot; keep it watered and it climbs and flowers freely until the first frosts. Our flower growing guide and flower sowing calendar cover the timing.

Ready to grow morning glory? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Ipomoea · Climbing Flowers · Pollinator Flowers · Annual Flowers · All Flower Seeds

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

How do I get morning glory seed to germinate?
Soak or lightly nick the hard seed coat before sowing, then start under cover in mid spring or sow direct once the soil is warm. How does morning glory climb?
It twines its stems around supports — no tendrils needed — so give it a trellis, wires or netting to scramble up. Do the flowers really last one day?
Each silky trumpet lasts a single morning, but the vine produces them in such profusion that it looks covered in bloom for months. Where does morning glory grow best?
In full sun in a warm, sheltered spot; keep it watered and it flowers freely until the first autumn frosts.