What are Moonflowers?
They are these big, white flowers. They grow on vines, Gillian said. You have never heard of moonflowers before? Nope, I never have. Where did they come from? David asked. Well there is a legend about them. There was an Indian god named Chandra. He always rode around the moon on this chariot. He was also white in color. One day another god named Soma came to the moon and decided he wanted to be the god of the moon. Chandra and Soma talked and decided they would merge together. Once they merged they took on the moons form. They formed a cup for the gods to drink out of. The gods would take the cup and would drink Soma. Each time a god would drink the moon would become less full until it was a little sliver in the sky. Once the last god drank out of the cup the moon would be gone. Soma would then regenerate himself and the moon would become full again. Each phase of the moon would be caused by the gods drinking Soma, Gillian explained. Thats pretty cool but where do the moonflowers come
Moonflowers are night blooming vines in the morning glory family. Their name is a reference to the fact that they bloom at night, rather than a suggestion that they originate on the moon. These annuals are very popular in moonlight gardens, gardens specifically designed to be viewed at night, and they can be used in a regular garden as well. Many gardeners in the American South include moonflowers in the their landscaping, as these vines thrive in the warm, humid environment of the South. Generally, moonflowers should grow well in USDA zones eight through 11, although some people have success growing them in even cooler regions. Moonflowers are typically started from seed, indoors in areas where late spring frosts occur, and outdoors in warmer regions. Because moonflower seeds are very hard, many gardeners recommend soaking or nicking the seeds before planting to promote germination. Indoor starts should be grown in peat pots which can be buried directly in the ground during planting,
–> Moonflowers are night blooming vines in the morning glory family. Their name is a reference to the fact that they bloom at night, rather than a suggestion that they originate on the moon. These annuals are very popular in moonlight gardens, gardens specifically designed to be viewed at night, and they can be used in a regular garden as well. Many gardeners in the American South include moonflowers in the their landscaping, as these vines thrive in the warm, humid environment of the South. Generally, moonflowers should grow well in USDA zones eight through 11, although some people have success growing them in even cooler regions. Moonflowers are typically started from seed, indoors in areas where late spring frosts occur, and outdoors in warmer regions. Because moonflower seeds are very hard, many gardeners recommend soaking or nicking the seeds before planting to promote germination. Indoor starts should be grown in peat pots which can be buried directly in the ground during planti
I don’t have anything to add except that Mr. Sali has , in the past, planted seeds in a trough just outside the sliding glass door. There is a trellis that the vines can grab on to as they climb, and provided we have a long enough growing season, we get spectacular big green leaves and huge, perfect, round, white flowers that open up at night. Mr. Sali’s screensaver was a photo of a particularly impressive specimen! We’ve tried morning glories, brilliant blue, and they were beautiful, but the moonflowers are so much larger and are just awesome!
