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Shining bright at night
Short but sweet: moonvine waits until the late afternoon to start its flower show. Each fragrant blossom lasts but for a single evening.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
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Spice it up
Fancy peppers like Black Pearl and Chilly Chili grow best in full sun.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
When asked what my favorite garden plants are, my short list is never without moonvine (Ipomoea alba, also called “moonflower vine”), because, in part, it can be counted on to always be fashionably late.
Let me explain.
Moonvine is an intriguing beauty that skips joining other blooming ornamentals flashing flowers in the shining summer sun to, instead, wait until the end of the day to party.
And this lovely is worth the wait because its large, 4- to 5-inch, ghostly white blossoms unfurl in the dying afternoon light, releasing a sweet scent that can cast a spell on any fortunate gardener within sniffing range. While the flowers—and their fabulous fragrance—last but a single evening, swooning in the rising sun of the following day, nightly encores of more hauntingly beautiful blooms can be counted on from mid to late summer.
As advertised, moonvine is a vine, easily twisting to 15 feet or more in length with solid masses of large, heart-shaped leaves that can doll up a bare trellis or ugly fence. The best locations, however, are the rails that wrap decks, porches or gazebos—those chill-time evening retreats for the weary, where moonvine’s perfumed blooms can blithely glow in the gloaming, and soothe the soul.
Moonvine flaunts flowers best when planted in well-worked, fertile soil. Also, pick a location for this heat-seeker where the sun shines most of the day but is filtered by some shade to deflect the high afternoon heat.
While young plants can occasionally be spotted at nurseries for sale in the spring, moonvine seeds are more commonly found—but, being slingshot-ammo hard, they can be a bit of a bear to germinate. However, I’ve had repeated success by nicking the tough outer coverings with a metal file, soaking the stubborn seeds in water overnight and then planting them in starter pots or directly to the garden the next day.
Although technically a perennial, this Central American native is not winter hardy in South Carolina, so grow it as an annual, but keep in mind the seeds can easily be saved. Simply wait until their pods turn dark brown in the fall and give ’em a shake. If you hear rattling, the dried seeds are ready to be shucked and tucked away from light in an airtight container until next growing season, when, once again, it will be time for the moonvine’s late show to shine.
May in the Garden
• Weeds are a fact of life in any garden and yanking them out where they aren’t wanted is an easy, chemical-free way to deal with them. The best time to pull weeds is right after a soaking rain has softened the soil. Take care not to step too close to cultivated plants because the wet ground around their root zones can be easily compacted.
• This month is a good time to start bringing houseplants outdoors for their summer vacation. Set them in areas that receive filtered shade most of the day to prevent sunscald.
• If your lawnmower’s spark plug is over two years old, head off to the hardware store and buy a new one for easier starts this summer.
Tip of the Month
Whether they are hot or sweet, edible or ornamental, peppers grow best in full sun. Mixing in plenty of compost or a commercial soil conditioner into planting holes will help kick-start peppers into a strong growing mode. Resist the urge to apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer because it will stimulate excess foliage at the expense of pepper production. Also, peppers can hold back on forming blooms—future peppers—during extended hot, dry spells, so add two to three inches of mulch to help conserve ground moisture, water weekly when the rains don’t come and occasionally mist the leaves.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.