The one thing I’ve wanted for my home is a fragrant floral assortment. Sweet peas were my first option, but while doing some research, I came across a flower called the moonflower.
It’s name was the first thing to draw me in — moonflower — it seems so ephemeral. So, mysterious and mystical. On top of it, everything I read about the flowers said they smelled divine and as a bonus they bloom at night. Who could ask for more?
So, I set out to pick up some sweet pea and moonflower seeds. When I got home, I immediately planted the sweet peas and set the moonflower seeds aside. (Which reminds me, I still need to write about the sweet peas. I’ll do that in the next entry.)
For some unknown reason, I waited a whole month before I actually dragged myself out and planted the moonflowers. Oh wait, I remember now: I waited because I didn’t have a planter for them. It wasn’t until I remembered that I had a large planter that ended up not being used.
To my absolute surprise, 3 of the 6 moonflower seeds sprouted in about 4 days. I was expecting about one to two weeks, which is what the packet said. And the next day, another two seedlings poked their heads out of the ground. So, in total, 5 of the 6 seeds I planted have sprouted and are growing strong.
I also noticed they appear to be growing like vines. Turns out, they grow like vines because they are. Plus, they look like they’re going to be huge — turns out they can actually grow to about 10 feet. Upon some further reading, it turns out that they do tend to grow quite fast in hot weather, which is exactly what we have plenty of in south Florida. Guess I didn’t read the back of that seed package well enough.
Now, I need to figure out a way to space them out because those 5 plants in that large (but still entirely too small) planter just won’t do and they are growing at breakneck speeds. Not only that, but I now need to find some viable support for them to grow on. Look out Lowe’s garden center, here I come.
Tagged: climbing vines, moonflower