Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
Hummingbird migration season is upon us. Because of this, we have so many ruby throated and black chinned hummers in our yard that my wife is filling our two feeders everyday. While the hummers seem to appreciate the sugar syrup that she makes for them, they always head first to the only thing that is still really blooming in my garden: cypress vine.
This plant is very easy to grow. Start seeds when the soil has warmed up to around 70 degrees F. It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade. Cypress Vine likes moist, rich, well drained soils but it will grow in just about any type of soil and will tolerate some dry periods. It's a quick grower and can produce blooms in as little as 45 days. You can fertilize with a high phosphorus fertilizer right before the first bloom to enhance its flowering. It readily reseeds itself, so once established you will be able to enjoy this plant year after year.
Because of its vining habit, Cypress Vine needs support. I planted mine against the western fence of my potager. This fence has an arbor over the gate and I wanted it to spread over both of these structures. All of the growth you see in these pictures came from two vines.
Unmanaged, this vine will grow in and over anything that is in its way. Since mine is on a fence, I trained it to grow up and out toward the arbor. This kept most of the runners in check. Some runners did grow down into my daylilies but I simply pulled them off. The plant did not seem to mind one bit. Cypress vine is also an aggressive self seeding annual. All of those lovely flowers produce tons of little black seeds. So, if you plant it, be prepared to have lots of new vines in years two and three.
Cypress Vine is a very lovely and very hearty plant that thrives in our climate. It is easy to grow and looks great on a fence, trellis or arbor. This self seeding annual is relatively disease and pest free and will provide you with a flush of blooms from May through late fall. If you can tolerate the aggressive growth habit, it will reward you with a beautiful late summer garden full of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Jay White is a graduate student at Texas A&M. You can read more articles like this on his blog 'The Masters of Horticulture'