The Mexican Morning Glory is a sun-loving annual that thrives on heat and bright light. Because of its tropical roots, it doesn’t exactly have a great time during our cold, gray winter days. If you’re wondering whether your Morning Glories can survive the winter in your garden, here’s the lowdown.
Can Morning Glories Be Winter-Hardy?
Most species in the Morning Glory family (*Ipomoea*) are naturally short-lived. Unlike some other vines, their long shoots never turn woody. In their native Mexico, the frost-free climate allows them to grow in the same spot for more than just one summer. Here in our neck of the woods, however, Morning Glories usually bite the dust as soon as the first frost hits.
Because of this, most home gardeners just pull them up in the fall and toss them in the compost. There is one rare exception, though: a cultivar called “Ipomoea Blue Hardy.” This perennial variety features beautiful light-to-deep blue trumpet flowers and is bred to sprout again after winter, eventually reaching heights of up to 15 feet.
Overwintering Morning Glories Indoors
Technically, you can try to save non-hardy Morning Glories by bringing them inside. To do this, you’ll need to give your potted vines a radical haircut before the first frost and move them to a bright but cool spot indoors.
While in their winter quarters, these Mexican beauties need very little water and zero fertilizer. If you’re lucky, they’ll start pushing out new growth once spring rolls around. However, I have to be honest: the effort required to keep them alive through the winter is usually more work than just starting fresh seedlings the following season.
Why Starting Fresh is Usually Better Than Overwintering
In my opinion, there’s really no need to stress over overwintering. These eager climbers are incredibly easy to grow from seed and can shoot up to 10 or 12 feet in just a matter of weeks. Besides being easy to propagate, there are a few other reasons why you might not want these plants taking up space in your house all winter:
- Morning Glories are toxic to both pets and humans.
- They take up valuable indoor real estate.
- Fresh seedlings tend to be healthier and more vigorous.
- You might accidentally bring outdoor pests inside.
You can easily find seeds online or at your local garden center—or better yet, just harvest the seeds from your own plants at the end of the season!
