Moonflower
August 20, 2016
I want to send moonflower seeds to our daughter in Florida but my moonflower does
not produce any seed pods whatsoever. What advice can you offer me?
There are two plants commonly called moonflower and both set seeds. Moonflower Datura
is the large white flower that is formed on a bush-like plant. It dies to the ground
each winter and reappears from the root system, but most flowers will form a seed
pod. It is a small round seed pot covered in spikes. They start out green then ripen
to brown. Once ripe, the pods naturally split open releasing the seeds. As soon as
you see them turning brown you can harvest and send to your daughter. The other moon
flower is a vining annual morning glory. They will set a small rounded seed capsule
which contains 5 or 6 seeds. Again, they must be fully mature for the seeds to be
viable. Not every flower from either plant will set seeds, but if you have many blooms,
you should see seed pods.
May 2010
What shrub would you recommend as a hedge in the Cammack Village area? I'd like to
create a living screen to hide a shed & work area in the backyard. The shed sits at
the back of the property which is fairly narrow & deep like a rectangle. What vine
would you recommend to use for a small arbor which located just out the back door
of the house on the same property?
Is the area shaded where the hedge will be planted? If so here are some good choices:
wax myrtle, illicium (Florida anise), cherry laurel and Sweet bay magnolia--this last
one is not evergreen. In sunny conditions you can use Little Gem magnolia, one of
the hollies- Foster, Yaupon, Lusterleaf, Nelly R. Stevens; or eleagnus. For the vine,
you could use a mix: trumpet honeysuckle, clematis, akebia and some annual vines:
moon flower morning-glory, cypress vine and hyacinth bean.