Growing Moonflower

Moonflower seedlings

Though it’s still cold and windy outside, it’s time to start germinating flowers and vegetables inside and get them ready for planting next month. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is one of them. I have been growing Moonflowers for years. Both of us love to have fragrant flowers in the garden, merely beautiful flowers just won’t do. A flower without a scent is like a woman who dresses nicely but has nothing else to offer beyond that. So, 95% of the flowers in our garden are fragrant, differing only in a matter of degrees.

We grow flowers that perfume our garden all day, but during the work week we are only able to enjoy them in the evening. That’s when the Moonflowers come into the picture. The flowers start to unfurl like a beach umbrella at dusk. You can literately see them opening. The pure white, six inch in diameter flower is equipped with a sweet, soothing perfume. The flowers look even more magical under the moonlight.

Moonflower seedling — Moonflower seeds sprouting on a paper towel

I soak the hard seeds for 3 to 4 hours then put them between damp paper towels. A couple layers of towel at the bottom and cover them with two layers on top. Make sure the papers stay damp but not soaked. Their little roots will start to come out in two days. Once the root comes out you can put them in the soil in individual containers or right in the ground if it is warm enough outside. The seedlings will push themselves above the soil in a few days. For us, we’ll have to wait for the weather to warm up outside.

I start all the beans and peas this way, they germinate faster than just putting them right in the soil. It saves time and doesn’t waste any space for the non-germinating seeds. The Moonflowers below are on our kitchen counter now, waiting to be transplanted or adopted by our friends.

7 thoughts on “Growing Moonflower”

jmgoyder says:

April 8, 2012 at 10:18 pm

We have a completely different kind of moonflower – I wrote about it many moons ago on my blog!

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1. P&B says:
  
  April 9, 2012 at 7:49 am
  
  I checked your blog on Moonflower to see what the flowers look like. They are Epiphyllum oxypetalum or commonly known as Orchid cactus. Yes, they are magnificent. I think it’s easier to get them to flower when you grow them outside. I can’t do it around here, too cold,so they’re in the house most of the time. And, they refuse to flower..
  
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  1. jmgoyder says:
    
    April 9, 2012 at 9:36 am
    
    Thanks for the info. I wondered what exactly these amazing flowers were and Husband always just called them moonflowers!
Kimberly Dresch says:

April 8, 2012 at 10:22 pm

Even though we moved to FL for retirement, we left behind in Great Neck, New York, an apartment building surrounded by the Moonflowers you started for us. They come up each year. We happily adopted these beauties.
People on our old street back home anxiously await these blooms!! Glad to see you are still growing these treasures Prisanee! Happy Spring!

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1. P&B says:
  
  April 9, 2012 at 8:01 am
  
  I can send some seeds your way, easier than sending seedlings. You can probably grow them year round in FL since it’s a lot warmer than up north. I’ll also send you a recipe for the flowers when I get a confirmation that they’re the same edible species.
  
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Macy Grant says:

March 7, 2021 at 11:58 am

I did soak them overnight but I only got one of them to sprout. Maybe I should have waited for the root to show up, and used a paper towel?

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1. P&B says:
  
  March 22, 2021 at 8:34 am
  
  I let the seeds sprout roots first before I put them in the soil. I put them between damp paper towels; it should take a day or two for the roots to come out.
  
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