My little girl started several from seeds for me around Mothers Day and I planted them in the garden bed in late June. Many of them are now about 8-10 inches tall, and some have begun to climb up the fence. There is only a couple flower buds on the vine. The seed pack indicated it was only an annual for my zone (Toronto Canada - zone 6 I believe) however, from reading the posts here I can see that many find them to be an invasive perenial. I quite like them, and wouldn't mind them sticking around, but not at the expense of my entire garden. Any suggestions to keep them under control?
I have beautiful dark-purple morning glories in my garden, which appeared there of their own free will! Yes, they might be 'annual', but they reseed themselves so well that they are perennial, I find. I like them, too---they twine up stakes I set up for 'em and look good next to my large birdbath. But yes, they also try their best to wiggle their way into any spot they can. What I do is yank them ruthlessly whenever and wherever they appear. And AS SOON AS, before they can get a grip. I suppose that if you really wanted to be "pro-active" about it, you could diligently dead-head to keep the seeds from distributing.
The invasive perennial is bindweed, also called morning glory. Convolvulous or Calystega are menaces. What your little one grew for you is more likely to be Ipomea, which I have great trouble growing, and would never regard as a threat, as the slugs like it too much.
do you have the seed packet? if so, please tell us exactly what it says on it. it's probably not the nasty bindweed though...still, to be sure, tell us what the packet says for the name...
I no longer have the packet. However I recall the seeds were black and oval shaped, about the size of a popcorn kernel (unpopped of course). Does that help at all? :)
What colour flowers? If blue or purple, they should be OK, one of the morning glories (Ipomoea), and probably annual in Toronto. If white, then they could be bindweed (Calystegia, Convolvulus).
