The Historic District

It's a good suggestion for perennial, woody vines (climbing hydrangea, Hydrangea anomala var. petiolaris, for example), which will hold moisture against the house which could invite damage. As tropical, annual vines, morning glory (and family) are less of a concern in this regard.

I'm broadening the meaning of the title of this thread, past 'Heavenly Blue' to include good stuff happening in the garden right now. Here's a (washed out, sorry) shot of rose 'Tropicana' that has finally bloomed in my garden. I got it for a pittance at one of those salvage stores and nursed it back to health in rich soil. Last year the Japanese beetles found it and some fungus (tea roses are always a problem) but this year it prevailed and has been blooming. The flower is a rich, deep (deeper than the photo) coral and the fragrance is good. 'Tropicana' was the All America Rose Selection (AARS) for 1963 and has remained a favorite for over 50 years.

Tropicana rose by James McInnis, on Flickr

Do I just like it just because it was the name of Ricky Ricardo's nightclub? Nah.

I hadn't even gotten to the point of looking at trellis builds, so thank you both for the info.

Here's the 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory a few days later, growing on the back-door awning. The foreground blooms read as purplish in the photo but don't look that way to the naked eye. Maybe it has something to do with light refraction - or something...

Heavenly Blue on the awning by James McInnis, on Flickr

...and washed out. Blooms are a deep, intense sky blue.

Here's a puzzler - a volunteer hollyhock that just appeared this year. I didn't pull it because I recognized the foliage as being from the mallow family and was curious. The last hollyhock that was deliberately planted on this property was in 2003, 20 yards from this spot, and wasn't particularly long-lived (Hollyhocks are a handsome, old-fashioned flower, but susceptible to a host of insects and diseases). I remember because the seeds I bought were for a double apricot, and it grew in pink - as best as I can remember, pretty much like this one. I told a horticulture professor at the University of Connecticut and his response was a sarcastic, "Gee, not getting what it says on the seed packet - that never happens."

Have the seeds of my 2003 hollyhock sat dormant in the ground for 14 years?

Volunteer hollyhock by James McInnis, on Flickr

Garlic chives, here used as a border, have begun to bloom and are extremely attractive to bees. If you grow garlic chives, be sure to cut off the faded blooms; they're a little too good at self-seeding.

Garlic chives new spot by James McInnis, on Flickr

So beautiful. I'm so envious of those with a green thumb. I love morning glories.

I planted morning glories last year and they did so-so. The seeds were from the seed exchange at the library, so who knows what I got ? I collected seeds from what bloomed last fall, then soaked and planted them haphazardly this year. Much to my surprise, the ones that have some partial shade seemed to do best - and they somehow self-selected - ie the pink ones are in one place, the lighter purple are grouped together and a mystery white kind with light pink centers and faint purple specks or streaks has been the most vigorous. Next year I will plant them on the opposite side of the fence to see if that is an even better location ?

Your morning glory looks like it may have some 'Flying Saucers' parentage. (The pink throat and smaller bloom looks like a plant on its way to reverting to the wild type.) A good FS plant has random streaks of blue, but occasionally produces white, or mostly white, blooms, as you see here:



I have, however, had some FS plants that produced no flowers with heavy blue streaking, just the mostly white with a minimum of blue. There's a lot of variability.

True to their name, morning glories seem to do best with afternoon shade. They stay open a little longer and don't wilt as much on hot days.

What's the key to getting them to bloom sooner? Yours are wonderful, every year my wife grows them on a 12 foot post in our garden and they start blooming in September. We usually enjoy the blooms two weeks before the first frost does them in.