Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Morning Glory - Lin Frye


Morning Glory
Originally uploaded by linfrye
Daily Practice
Journal

I love this time of summer/early fall when the morning glories seem to crawl over every inch of ground, shrub and surface. The 'heavenly blue' color is one of my favorites and has now covered much of my Clematis vince and fence-- but I'm also crazy about that deep blue/purple that sings midnight to me. Here and there a smaller, bright red/orange morning glory, Ipomea quamoclit or cypress vine) competes with the heavenly blues to see which will take over more of the garden!

There are hundreds of different varieties of this plant named for its habit of opening in the morning and closing by afternoon. Some species are annuals, others perennials. Most tolerate poor soil. Their twining nature makes them very useful for creating shade and for covering vertical surfaces.

Seeds contain ergot alkaloids and can produce hallucinations and poisoning if ingested in large quantities. Best to enjoy this flower before it seeds! LOL

Still, when the morning glories dominate much of the landscape, they seem to herald a change in the seasons. This morning's early fog echoes the same seasonal shift .... now if only the high heats do the same!

Have a great day!

Lin Frye
North Carolina

8 comments:

  1. That is a beautiful painting. I've never seen blue flowers like this. I've seen white ones but that shade of blue is spectacular.

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  2. I was never able to grow these, Miss Lin, but my mother did, beautifully. Thank you for the memories!

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  3. Lovely! One of my favorite colors, too.

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  4. PS - the blue is Winsor Newton Cobalt Blue with tinges of French Ultramarine blue ...

    Kate, these tend to grow wild for me.... my soil pH is very low .. perhaps that could be an issue?

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  5. Morning Glories are one of my favorite flowers. This is gorgeous!

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