Little red morning glories bring joy to the fall garden

These little red morning glories don’t require anything from the gardener and bring joy in the form of their bright blooms. Photos by Doug Oster Tribune Review

A ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomato plant is completely engulfed by the twisting vines of a morning glory filled with little red flowers. It’s only the second year I’ve grown this variety, and I just love them. My friend June Bernard gave me six plants this spring and last. She’s a lover of pollinators and especially butterflies and moths.

Many people avoid morning glories as they are thought to be invasive, but I’ve never had the seeds sprout in my garden for some reason. This red variety (Ipomoea coccinea) has flowers only about two inches long and a quarter inch across, and are prolific.

They attract butterflies, hummingbirds and lots of other pollinators.

Best of all they don’t need a thing from us and will happily bloom until a hard frost.

As the late afternoon sun hits the blossoms, they turn luminescent. When time allows, I’ll sit in the corner of the garden and watch the visitors enjoy the tubular flowers. It’s quite a show and one that’s fleeting as the inevitable arrival of cool air will end the performance.

They are in their prime as the season winds down, but it’s better to be a star if only for a few weeks, than never be a star.