Ipomoea purpurea - Morning Glory Venice Pink seeds

The 'Venice Pink' Morning Glory or Ipomoea purpurea is a variety awarded with an Approved Novelty by Fleuroselect for the innovative quality of its flowering. For several months it unfolds twining stems loaded with buds that open into large bicolour corollas of bright white marked with fine or wide pink streaks. Whether in the ground or in a pot, its beautiful heart-shaped foliage covers large areas, either to create astonishing ground cover, or to form magnificent flowering garlands on any support made available to it.

The 'Venice Pink' Morning Glory is a very vigorous climbing plant from the Convolvulaceae family. The botanical species Ipomoea purpurea has origins that trace back to tropical regions of America, probably in Mexico. Perennial with a tuberous crown, it is frost-sensitive in our climate and is grown as an annual. This plant's growth is very rapid: it sends its long voluble stems of 2.50 m climbing any support within its reach. The flowering is long and abundant, from July until the first frosts. In the 'Venice Pink' selection, the funnel-shaped corollas measure 7 cm in diameter. While these flowers permanently close in the afternoon, they constantly renew on the plant. The twining stems bear oval to heart-shaped, 5 to 10 cm leaves, rarely trilobed, in a matte dark green. Each plant produces around 100 pods filled with seeds, approximately 600 seeds, at the end of the season, before the first frosts. These can be harvested for resowing the following year, but plants from seeds may not be identical to the mother plant.

This distant cousin of the common garden bindweed does not survive harsh winters, but its vigorous growth more than compensates for this disadvantage. The 'Venice Pink' Morning Glory thrives in any well-drained, rich garden soil that retains some moisture. For abundant flowering, sow it in a warm and sunny location. It pairs well with other ephemeral climbers such as Sweet Peas or climbing Nasturtiums. This plant elegantly drapes over structures like trellises, pergolas, obelisks, balcony grilles, as well as trees and bushes, or even clematis and wisteria. In the absence of support, it can also spread on the ground. It is ideal for giving new life to an old wall or a dead tree.