Using cut SWEET PEAS as indoor decor -- advice, please!

[nicolem25]

EDIT: Now I'm wondering about sweet peas (see newer posts)....


ORIGINAL POST about morning glories:

Has anyone ever used cut morning glories as an indoor decoration?

I want to grow heavenly blue morning glories and use them to decorate the ceiling of the dance floor at my wedding. They would be attached to the ceiling along with strings of lights. I LOVE this idea, but I really don't want to use fake vines/flowers.

If I cut the morning glories the morning of the wedding, do you think they would last the whole day? What do you think of this idea?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[thistlebloom]

Hi Nicolem, unfortunately morning glorys make lousy cut flowers. The vines may stay somewhat turgid,( I doubt it) but the flowers will most definitely close . Too bad , because that sounded like a pretty effect.

 

[nicolem25]

Would closed morning glories look really bad? haha I've never grown them before and can't find a picture online of closed ones.

How many hours do you think they would last for?

 

[thistlebloom]

Yeah, not really attractive, and overall the effect would probably be droopy/wilted. They are only open in the morning.

 

[nicolem25]

But would the flowers close because of a lack of water, or because they always close up in the afternoon?

I was thinking they may survive because they would be taken out of natural sunlight. So they would react just like they would in the morning, and stay open. Is that crazy?

Thanks for your input BTW!

 

[thistlebloom]

Gee, I hate to be such a wet blanket but I really don't think this will work out the way you envision it . There are other vines you might use, but morning glorys are just best enjoyed in the garden.

 

[silkiechicken]

I agree... there is only one way to have live morning glory flowers inside... and that is to grow the entire plant inside.

Pretty effect you are describing, but you'll have to go with fake ones. Any cut morning glory even in a glass of water ends up wilting in an hour. Plus, if you touch the pedals at all, they tend to shrivel up there first. A wilted morning glory is just a tube of squishy pedal that stains carpet. Imagine a over cooked piece of onion, except bluish. On a cold summer day, morning glories outside last from about 7am till noon anyway. On a usual summer day, they are open naturally for about an hour. Very short life span.


As for growing morning glory inside, this is when the mass first started to bloom. It wasn't that filled in yet.

I did that last year. However, I won't be doing it this year because they made an absolute mess. When it got to full bloom, I had to pick up after the plant daily becuase dozens of dead flowers would fall off and stain the carpet/window sil... not to mention the hundreds of black seeds that eventually dropped off the plant and peppered the floor.


Oh, by the way, I grew these from Jan-June. They were flowering in march or so if I remember right. Apartment runs around 65-70, and all the flowers will have wilted and fallen off by noon. They just don't open long.

 

[lesa]

Love the idea- but it really won't work. Since you are talking about the ceiling and mixing with lights- I don't think you would be disappointed with fakes... If you have tons of real flowers all over the tables, etc. people will assume all the flowers are real...No one will be able to touch them...Let us know what you decide- sounds like it will be very pretty!

 

[thistlebloom]

I agree... there is only one way to have live morning glory flowers inside... and that is to grow the entire plant inside.

Silkie I love your curtains!

 

[nicolem25]

OK OK, I'll give up the morning glory idea

What about pink and white sweet pea vines instead?! I've seen people use them in wedding bouquets, so I'd imagine they'd hold up well...?

I have seed packets of Royal Mixture, Perennial Mix and Early Spencer Mix. What do you think?