How to grow morning glories in mint? - Plant Care Guide

The phrase "How to grow morning glories in mint?" suggests interplanting, which is not advisable due to the highly aggressive and invasive nature of mint, which would quickly overwhelm and outcompete morning glories. While both plants are vigorous, their growth habits make them incompatible companions. Instead of interplanting, focus on growing morning glories near mint (if the mint is contained), or providing each with their own dedicated space. This article will focus on growing morning glories effectively, acknowledging the challenges of mint as a companion.

Why is growing morning glories directly "in" mint not recommended?

Growing morning glories directly "in" mint is strongly not recommended due to the highly aggressive and invasive nature of mint. While both are vigorous growers, mint's underground root system would quickly dominate and ultimately suffocate the morning glories, leading to poor growth or even the demise of the vine.

Here's why this combination is problematic:

1. Aggressive Root Systems:

   • Mint (Mentha spp.): Mint is infamous for its extremely aggressive, spreading rhizomatous root system. These underground runners quickly spread horizontally, sending up new shoots far from the mother plant. In a short amount of time, mint can form a dense mat of roots that effectively chokes out anything else trying to grow in its vicinity.
   • Morning Glory (Ipomoea spp.): While morning glories also have a robust root system, it's typically a more central taproot with fibrous feeders, not the extensive spreading network of mint.
   • Competition: Mint's rapidly expanding root system would outcompete the morning glory for water, nutrients, and root space. The morning glory's roots would be unable to establish themselves sufficiently to support the vigorous vine, leading to stunted growth or death.

2. Overwhelming Growth Habit:

   • Mint forms a dense, sprawling groundcover. Even above ground, its foliage can become very thick.
   • If morning glories were planted within this dense mint patch, the mint's foliage would likely shade out the base of the morning glory plants, depriving them of the sunlight they need to thrive and climb.

3. Different Light and Space Needs:

   • Morning Glories are vining plants that need vertical support and full sun to produce abundant flowers. They need open space to climb.
   • Mint can tolerate partial shade and thrives as a groundcover, but it requires control to prevent it from overwhelming other plants.

Trying to interplant these two would almost certainly result in the mint thriving and the morning glory struggling immensely. A more viable approach would be to grow mint in a contained planter nearby, or establish a dedicated patch where its spread is managed, and then grow morning glories on a separate trellis or support where they have ample room and light to climb freely.

What are the ideal growing conditions for morning glories?

To effectively grow morning glories, you need to provide them with specific environmental conditions that mimic their natural preference for warmth, sun, and something to climb on. While vigorous, they perform best when these needs are met.

1. Sunlight Requirements: Full Sun

   • Preference: Morning glories are sun-loving plants. They require at least 6-8 hours of direct, full sun per day to produce abundant blooms.
   • Impact of Too Little Sun: In shady conditions, morning glories will grow weak and leggy, produce very few flowers (or none at all), and overall lack vigor. The more sun they get, the more prolific their flowering will be.

2. Soil Requirements: Well-Draining, Moderately Fertile

   • Drainage: Morning glories need well-draining soil. They do not like constantly soggy conditions, which can lead to root rot.
   • Fertility: They prefer moderately fertile soil, not overly rich soil. Too much nitrogen can encourage excessive leafy growth at the expense of flowers. A soil that is too rich might lead to fewer blooms.
   • pH Level: A soil pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral) is generally ideal.

3. Watering Needs: Consistent Moisture (Especially When Young), then Moderate

   • Germination/Young Plants: Keep the soil consistently moist until seeds germinate and young seedlings are established.
   • Established Plants: Once established, morning glories are fairly drought-tolerant but will perform best with moderate, consistent watering. Water deeply when the top inch or two of soil feels dry to the touch.
   • Avoid Overwatering: Too much water can lead to root rot and fewer blooms.

4. Temperature Preferences: Warmth

   • Sensitive to Cold: Morning glories are tender annuals and are very sensitive to cold temperatures. They will be killed by frost.
   • Optimal Range: They germinate and grow best in warm soil and air temperatures, ideally above 65°F (18°C) at night and much warmer during the day.
   • Planting Time: Do not plant outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed up.

5. Support for Climbing:

   • Essential: Morning glories are vining plants and require a vertical support structure to climb on. Without it, they will sprawl on the ground, becoming a tangled mess and potentially producing fewer flowers.
   • Examples: Trellises, arbors, fences, netting, or stakes work well. The vines use twining stems to cling.

By providing these optimal conditions, especially full sun and proper support, you can successfully grow morning glories to produce a spectacular display of their trumpet-shaped blooms.

What are the ideal growing conditions for mint?

Mint (Mentha species) is a highly adaptable and vigorous herb, but its ideal growing conditions promote its lush, spreading growth. Understanding these conditions is key to cultivating mint, and, more importantly, to containing its infamous invasiveness.

1. Sunlight Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade

   • Preference: Mint can tolerate a wide range of light, from full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun) to partial shade (3-6 hours of direct sun).
   • Impact: In full sun, mint tends to grow more compactly and intensely flavored. In partial shade, it may become slightly leggier but still grows vigorously. Too much shade can lead to sparse growth.

2. Soil Requirements: Moist, Well-Draining, and Rich in Organic Matter

   • Moisture: Mint prefers consistently moist soil. It does not like to dry out completely, nor does it thrive in overly dry conditions.
   • Drainage: While it likes moisture, the soil still needs to be well-draining to prevent root rot.
   • Fertility: It thrives in fertile soil that is rich in organic matter. A good quality potting mix for herbs or garden soil amended with compost works well.
   • pH Level: Mint is adaptable and tolerates a wide range of soil pH, generally from 6.0 to 7.5 (slightly acidic to slightly alkaline).

3. Watering Needs: Consistent Moisture

   • Frequency: Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during hot, dry periods. Check the soil frequently and water when the top inch or two begins to feel dry.
   • Avoid Drought Stress: Drought stress can cause mint leaves to yellow, crisp, and reduce its vigor and flavor.

4. Temperature Preferences: Adaptable, but Prefers Moderate Warmth

   • Tolerance: Mint is quite cold-hardy and can overwinter in many temperate climates (zones 3-9), dying back to the ground but returning in spring.
   • Growth: It grows most vigorously in moderate to warm temperatures, typically between 60-80°F (15-27°C).

5. Containment is Key:

   • Aggressive Spread: This is the most important factor in growing mint. Its underground rhizomatous root system is extremely invasive and will quickly take over an entire garden bed if not contained.
   • Solutions:
     • Grow in Containers: The safest way to grow mint is in a container (plastic, ceramic, or metal), ensuring it has drainage holes. Do not place the container directly into the ground, as roots can escape through the holes.
     • Root Barriers: If planting in the ground, install a sturdy root barrier (e.g., metal edging, plastic barrier) at least 12-18 inches deep around the planting area.
     • Regular Pruning: Even with containment, regular harvesting and pruning (pinching back stems) helps keep the plant bushy and prevents it from flowering (which can reduce flavor) and getting leggy.

Understanding mint's aggressive nature and providing it with its preferred conditions while strictly containing its spread is essential for successful cultivation.

How do the growth habits of morning glories and mint conflict?

The growth habits of morning glories and mint conflict profoundly, making them incompatible as companion plants in the same growing space. While both are vigorous, their methods of growth and competition for resources are fundamentally at odds.

1. Vertical Climber vs. Horizontal Spreader:

   • Morning Glory: This is a vining plant that primarily grows vertically by twining its stems around a support structure (trellis, fence, pole). Its main goal is to reach sunlight by climbing upwards. While its roots spread, they don't dominate underground in the same invasive way as mint.
   • Mint: This is an aggressive horizontal spreader, primarily via underground rhizomes (runners). These rhizomes rapidly colonize the surrounding soil, sending up new shoots (clones) everywhere. Above ground, it forms a dense, bushy groundcover.

2. Competition for Root Space and Nutrients:

   • Mint's dense, shallow, and rapidly expanding rhizomatous root system would quickly outcompete morning glory's roots for precious underground resources like water and nutrients. The mint would effectively monopolize the soil, leaving little for the morning glory to sustain its vigorous top growth.
   • The morning glory would struggle to establish a robust enough root system to support its climbing habit, leading to stunted growth, nutrient deficiencies, and very poor flowering.

3. Light Competition and Suffocation:

   • Even if the morning glory somehow managed to establish roots, mint's dense, leafy groundcover would likely shade out the base of the morning glory stems. Morning glories need full sun on their foliage to thrive and initiate climbing.
   • As mint continues to spread horizontally and densely, it would physically overwhelm the young morning glory plants, suffocating them or preventing them from getting the necessary light for their lower leaves.

4. Maintenance Challenge:

   • Attempting to keep mint from overrunning the morning glory would require constant, aggressive pruning and digging of mint runners, which would be a never-ending battle and highly disruptive to the morning glory's root system.

In summary, the conflict in growth habits means that mint is a subterranean dominator, while morning glory is a vertical light-seeker. The mint would win the battle for soil space and effectively strangle the morning glory's development before it ever had a chance to climb and flower abundantly. This fundamental incompatibility makes growing them directly together highly inadvisable.

What are the potential negative impacts of interplanting morning glories and mint?

Interplanting morning glories and mint carries several significant potential negative impacts, primarily stemming from the inherent conflict in their growth habits and the overwhelming invasiveness of mint. These negative consequences affect both plants and the overall garden environment.

1. Stunted Morning Glory Growth and Poor Flowering:

   • Resource Depletion: The most immediate impact is that the aggressive, shallow root system of mint will quickly outcompete morning glory for water and nutrients. Mint is a notorious "resource hog" underground.
   • Light Deprivation: As mint forms a dense mat, it will likely shade out the base of the morning glory plants, depriving them of the full sun they need to climb vigorously and produce abundant flowers.
   • Physical Overwhelm: Mint's dense growth can physically smother young morning glory vines before they even get a chance to establish themselves on a trellis.
   • Result: The morning glory will be stressed, grow weakly, and produce very few (if any) of its characteristic blooms, failing to meet its aesthetic potential.

2. Uncontrolled Mint Spread:

   • Planting mint directly in a garden bed without a root barrier is almost always a mistake, regardless of what it's planted with. Interplanting it with a vining annual like morning glory does nothing to contain mint's subterranean assault.
   • The mint will not only overwhelm the morning glory but will also rapidly spread throughout your entire garden bed, becoming a pervasive and difficult-to-eradicate weed, choking out other desirable plants in its path.

3. Increased Maintenance Burden:

   • You would be forced into a constant, arduous battle to control the mint's spread. This would involve frequent digging, root pruning, and physically separating the intertwined plants, which is time-consuming and disruptive to both species.
   • This defeats the purpose of enjoyable gardening.

4. Reduced Overall Garden Health:

   • A garden where one plant is aggressively outcompeting another often leads to stressed plants, which can be more susceptible to pests and diseases. This instability undermines the health and balance of your overall garden ecosystem.

In summary, attempting to grow morning glories in mint is akin to putting two incompatible forces together. The mint's invasive nature will inevitably dominate, leading to a diminished morning glory display, an out-of-control mint patch, and an increase in your gardening workload. It's a combination that is almost guaranteed to result in negative outcomes for both the intended aesthetic and plant health.

What are alternative ways to grow morning glories and mint effectively?

Since interplanting morning glories and mint directly is not effective, focusing on alternative methods that cater to each plant's specific needs and manage mint's invasiveness is the best approach.

For Morning Glories (Requires Vertical Support):

1. Dedicated Trellis, Arbor, or Fence:

   • Method: Plant morning glory seeds directly at the base of a sturdy garden trellis, an arbor, a chain-link fence, or a strong support pole.
   • Benefits: Provides the essential vertical structure they need to climb. Ensures they get full sun exposure for abundant flowering. Keeps their vigorous vines from sprawling and becoming a messy groundcover.
   • Care: Guide young vines onto the support initially. Water consistently, especially during dry spells.

2. In Hanging Baskets (for Bush Varieties):

   • Method: Some newer morning glory varieties are bred to be bushier or more compact and can be grown in hanging baskets or containers where they will spill over.
   • Benefits: Excellent for small spaces or patios where vertical climbing structures aren't feasible.
   • Care: These often need more frequent watering than in-ground plants due to limited soil volume.

For Mint (Requires Containment):

1. Grow in Containers (Most Recommended):

   • Method: Plant mint in its own dedicated pot or container. Ensure the pot has drainage holes.
   • Crucial: Do NOT place the container directly into the garden soil, as mint roots can escape through drainage holes and colonize the surrounding area. Place it on a patio, concrete slab, or on a stand.
   • Benefits: This is the most effective way to manage mint's aggressive spread, allowing you to enjoy fresh mint without it taking over.
   • Care: Mint in pots will dry out faster than in the ground, so it will need more frequent watering.

2. Use a Root Barrier (If Planting In-Ground):

   • Method: If you absolutely want mint in a garden bed, install a sturdy, deep root barrier around the planting area. This could be metal edging, heavy-duty plastic barriers, or even a bottomless bucket or barrel sunk into the ground, extending at least 12-18 inches deep.
   • Benefits: Provides physical containment for its underground rhizomes.
   • Care: Even with a barrier, monitor regularly for runners trying to escape over the top or through any gaps.

3. Dedicated Mint Patch:

   • Method: Designate an isolated area of the garden where mint can spread freely without harming other plants. This is typically only feasible in very large gardens.

Combining Them in a Design (Without Interplanting):

• Proximity, Not Intertwining: You can place a potted mint plant next to a trellis where morning glories are climbing. This allows both to receive their preferred light and water, but keeps their root systems and growth habits entirely separate.
• Layering: Imagine morning glories climbing a trellis at the back of a border, with a contained mint plant placed further forward in the bed, or even as a potted accent on the patio nearby.

By understanding and respecting the unique growth habits of morning glories and mint, you can cultivate both effectively in your garden, ensuring each thrives without conflict.

What are the best practices for controlling invasive plants like mint in a garden?

Controlling invasive plants like mint in a garden is essential to prevent them from overwhelming desired plants and becoming a persistent nuisance. Since mint spreads aggressively via underground rhizomes, specific strategies are needed for effective management.

1. Container Gardening (Most Effective):

   • Best Practice: The absolute best and most effective way to control mint's spread is to grow it in a container.
   • Method: Choose a pot of any material (plastic, terracotta, ceramic) that has drainage holes.
   • Crucial Tip: Do NOT sink the potted mint directly into the ground unless the pot has no drainage holes and you are prepared to address waterlogging. Mint's rhizomes can escape through drainage holes and colonize the surrounding soil. Place the potted mint on a patio, concrete slab, or a solid raised surface.
   • Repot Annually: Even in pots, mint can become root-bound. Repot it annually, dividing the plant and refreshing the soil, to maintain vigor and prevent it from trying to escape the pot.

2. Root Barriers (For In-Ground Planting):

   • Best Practice: If you want to plant mint directly in a garden bed, you must install a root barrier.
   • Method: Dig a trench around the intended mint patch and insert a sturdy barrier made of metal (like aluminum flashing), heavy-duty plastic edging, or a bottomless container (like a large bucket or barrel with the bottom cut out).
   • Depth: The barrier should extend at least 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) deep and ideally stick up an inch or two above the soil line to prevent rhizomes from growing over the top.
   • Drawback: Even with barriers, diligent monitoring is needed. Rhizomes can sometimes find tiny gaps or grow deep enough to bypass them.

3. Regular Pruning and Harvesting:

   • Above-Ground Control: While this doesn't control underground spread, regular harvesting of mint for culinary or medicinal use, and pinching back stems, encourages bushier growth and prevents the plant from flowering.
   • Flowering & Seed Set: Allowing mint to flower and set seed can lead to new seedlings spreading (though rhizomes are the primary concern). Pruning off flower stalks helps prevent this.

4. Physical Removal/Digging:

   • For Escaped Runners: If mint escapes its containment (or was planted without it), the only effective method of removal is physical excavation.
   • Method: Dig deep and wide around the offending mint patch. Sift through the soil to remove every last piece of rhizome, as even a small fragment can regrow into a new plant. This often requires repeated effort.
   • Avoid Tilling: Tilling an area infested with mint can actually worsen the problem by chopping the rhizomes into many pieces, each capable of forming a new plant.

5. Dedicated Patch:

   • In very large gardens, some gardeners choose a secluded corner where mint can spread without interfering with other plants.

By implementing these best practices, particularly container gardening or robust root barriers, you can enjoy the benefits of fresh mint without battling its invasive nature throughout your entire garden.