Morning Glory: Weed or Ornamental Flowering Vine?

The Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) twines itself around fence posts, mailbox gardens, and trellises, blooming throughout the months of July and August. The leaves are perfectly heart-shaped and provide a faultless back drop to the psychedelic tones of the flowers. 

Drop the seeds into soil (soak them in water 24 hours beforehand) after all danger of frost has passed, sit back and wait for germination in five to seven days. The vine will take care of itself most of the rest of the summer, tolerating neglect, and poor soils. Early in the morning, the flowers disentangle themselves from the vines, and emerge unflinching from the depths of the foliage. 

Once the flowers fade, look for swelling seed pods to follow. After the pods are dry and brown, they will start to shrivel, and this is the time to harvest the seeds. Keep only the hard, black seeds, discarding any others. When spring comes back around, the cycle begins again.  

A morning glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. ~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of Myself