Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Heavenly blue morning glory bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Heavenly blue morning glory, Mexican morning glory, Tricolor morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor).

More about heavenly blue morning glory

About Heavenly blue morning glory

Ipomoea tricolor · also called Heavenly blue morning glory, Mexican morning glory · flowering

Ipomoea tricolor is a fast-growing Mexican annual vine famous for its large, sky-blue funnel flowers with white and yellow throats that open each morning and close by afternoon. 'Heavenly Blue' is the most celebrated cultivar. It covers fences, obelisks, and trellises rapidly in a single season from a spring sowing, requiring minimal care in full sun.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Typically caused by rich soil, excessive nitrogen, or insufficient sun. Grow in lean conditions with full sun. Also check that plants are not being over-fed. Morning glory is a short-day plant at latitudes far from the equator — very early sowing sometimes delays flowering.

The reasons heavenly blue morning glory isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming heavenly blue morning glory traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding heavenly blue morning glory a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get heavenly blue morning glory to flower

Maximise sun. Give heavenly blue morning glory the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for heavenly blue morning glory and get the feeding right with the heavenly blue morning glory fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Heavenly blue morning glory flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full heavenly blue morning glory care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Heavenly blue morning glory blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my heavenly blue morning glory flower?

Heavenly blue morning glory blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make heavenly blue morning glory bloom?

Give heavenly blue morning glory the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does heavenly blue morning glory normally bloom?