How to Care for the Moonflower Plant

The moonflower (Ipomoea alba), a relative of the morning glory, is a flowering vine that blooms in the evening. Moonflowers are typically treated as annuals in most climatic regions. They produce large, heart-shaped leaves and 6-inch-wide white flowers, which bloom during late summer and early autumn, opening in late afternoon or early evening and closing by morning. Moonflowers are easy to grow and maintain, providing ambiance to a garden or landscape in the evenings.

Climbing support
Garden hose or watering can
Mulch
All-purpose fertilizer for annual flowers

Instructions

- 1
  Provide a support. Moonflowers will climb a fence, trellis, arbor or even a tomato cage. Interestingly, moonflowers always twine clockwise.
- 2
  Provide the moonflower with about 1.5 inches of water per week in the absence of rainfall. Soak the soil down to and around the moonflower's roots.
- 3
  Spread a layer of 2 to 3 inches of mulch on the ground around the base of the moonflower to help preserve soil moisture and suppress weed growth.
- 4
  Fertilize your moonflower only if you're growing it in very nutrient-poor soil. Moonflower plants normally require no fertilizer, but if you do need to feed the plant, use an all-purpose fertilizer for annual flowers. Follow the dosage and application directions on the fertilizer package.

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