Morning Glories

[jubitty]

Several years ago morning glories appeared in my flower bed, as each year goes by, they spread worse and worse.....taking over every thing. I want to get rid of them. Any suggestions?

as you are mentioning a flower bed you'd probably not want to poison them
anyway, but, the best way is to try and keep on top of them by pulling them
out - and especially make sure that they don't go to seed.

Not the easiest way out, sorry.

Aloha,

Maren

[Newt]

Hi Jubitty,

I agree with Maren. Pull them as soon as you see them, preferably before they bloom. The seeds can last in the soil for several years.

Newt

learned something new there, Newt. I didn't know the seeds last for years.
Do you know whether that's true for woodroses as well?

Aloha,

Maren

[Newt]

Hi Maren,

The problem with using common names is that there can be several plants with the same name. There is a wood rose called Merremia tuberosa - wood rose, Spanish arborvine, yellow morning-glory whose seeds can remain viable for years. I suspect that all or most of the relatives of the morning glory family would be the same. The seeds have a hard outer core. Is this the wood rose you are talking about?
http://www.hear.org/pier/species/merremia_tuberosa.htm

There's another wood rose called Hawaiian baby wood rose - Argyreia nervosa. Is this your wood rose?
http://www.erowid.org/plants/show_im...a_nervosa2.jpg

They are both lovely!
Newt

the more common woodrose here is the merremia tuberosa.
- It is what we call woodrose here.
the argyreia nervosa is, well, baby woodrose <g>.

I consider the first one of these more of a craft item and the second one
more "sought after as a drug". They're both pretty invasive, and for all I
know neither is native. I doubt that either one's seeds would last for very
long here in/on the ground. They'd probably get eaten, but there's enough
left to sprout to be invasive.

Aloha,

Maren