A heat-loving plant, Evolvulus thrives in the middle of a hot summer and continues to impress all the way through fall. One of the most remarkable characteristics of Evolvulus is that its flowers come in one of the most elusive colors in the horticultural world: a bright, true blue.
With its showy blue blooms held against silvery-green foliage, this plant flourishes in a garden bed as a low-growing, drought-tolerant groundcover or in a container. A close relative of morning glory (yet not toxic), the flowers tend to have a few of the same quirks, including closing up at the end of the day and re-opening the following morning.
I. Appearance and CharacteristicsÂ
Evolvulus glomeratus, commonly known as blue daze, Brazilian dwarf morning-glory, or Hawaiian blue eyes, is flowering plant from the family Convolvulaceae that is native to Brazil, Guyana, Bolivia and Venezuela.
It is an evergreen subshrub with stems that become woody as they mature. Both leaves and stems have a light gray fuzz.
The dwarf morning glory family blooms in late spring until the first frost and attracts butterflies and bees. The astonishing thing to see is when the flowers close up on a cloudy day or when evening arrives.
Blue daze flowers you find prominently growing in Brazil and Paraguay. While the dwarf morning glory flower is short-lived, you see them replaced with new blooms the following day. Your tropical plant can reach up to 12 inches wide and 3 feet tall.
If you live in the USDA zones 8-11, it grows well. So let us look a bit closer at the blue daze care to brighten up your day.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
To get the most color out of your evolvulus, be sure to plant it in full sun to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season. Sun also helps maintain a compact shape and pretty silver-colored foliage. If planted in too much shade, evolvulus will often take on a sprawling appearance, bloom less frequently, and lose some of the silvery sheen that makes its foliage so attractive.
Temperature and Humidity
This plant is happiest and flowers best in temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit and thrives in the summer heat. It cannot tolerate even mild frost. It has no preference for humidity levels.
Watering
Dwarf morning glory does best when it receives consistent, even moisture but it does not like to sit in soggy soil. In good well-draining soil, about one-half to one inch of water per week (rainfall and/or irrigation) will cause it to thrive, but in dense soil, this might be too much water.
Once established, this plant has good tolerance for drought conditions, making it a great option for neglected areas of your garden or in containers that might not receive adequate water. One of the quickest ways to kill dwarf morning glory is by overwatering and causing root rot.
Soil
Whether grown in a hanging basket or as ground cover, it prefers acidic soil but can tolerate a neutral pH. The important thing is to provide your lovely evergreen shrub with loamy yet well-drained soil.
Fertilizing
Feed dwarf morning glory monthly in spring and summer. Use a general-purpose liquid fertilizer and apply it according to the label instructions. Do not feed the plant during the winter in warm climates where it is reliably hardy as a perennial.
Planting Instructions
Potted evolulus, which are commonly available as annuals at nurseries and garden centers, are planted in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Dig a hole that is at least the size of the nursery pot or flat and has the same depth. Water the plants well in their pots and let them drain before placing them in the hole and backfilling with the original soil. Space the plants 2 to 2.5 feet apart.
Pruning
When the plant is young, prune the plant back a bit to encourage branching. Giving the growing tips a pinch every now and then can also help to encourage a nice, bushy plant. As the summer progresses, evolvulus may begin to look a bit tired and leggy, and blooming may slow down. At this point, cut back the plant to help encourage a fresh new flush of growth. This will also help plants to rebloom and make them look a bit tidier.
Evolvulus has the benefit of being self-cleaning, so there is no need for deadheading.
Propagation
These plants will reliably propagate from both seeds and stem cuttings, but rooting stem cuttings is the more reliable method of achieving plants identical to parent plants. Rooting stem cuttings is best done in summer to start plants for outdoor planting the following spring.
- Using sharp pruners, cut three to five-inch tips from healthy stems. Remove the leaves from the bottom one-third of each cutting, and remove flowers and flower buds.
- Dip the cut end in rooting hormone, then plant it in a small container filled with a commercial seed starter mix, or a porous mixture of sand plus peat moss or potting mix.
- Cover the pot with a loosely secured plastic bag, and place the pot in a location with bright indirect light (not direct sunlight).
- Keep the potting medium moist until roots develop (you will feel resistance when gently tugging on the cutting stem. At this point, transplant the cutting into a pot filled with standard potting mix.
- Continue growing the cutting indoors through the winter (or in a sheltered outdoor location, if you live in a region that does not freeze in the winter). In the spring, transplant the actively growing plant into the landscape.
How to Grow from Seed
Whether collected from your own plants or purchased, dwarf morning glory seeds can be started indoors eight to ten weeks before the average last frost date in your area.
- Plant the seeds in pots filled with a seed starter mix, or a mixture of sand and standard potting mix, covering them with 1/4 inch potting mix.
- Keep the potting mix moist and set the pot in a sunny indoor location at a temperature of at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If you cover the pot or tray with plastic, uncover it for at least 20 minutes each day to allow in fresh air to prevent fungal infection.
- Once the plants have developed several sets of true leaves, carefully transplant them into individual pots filled with standard potting mix and grow for planting outdoors once all danger of frost has passed.
How to Get to Bloom
Dwarf morning glory begins blooming in late spring, continuing right up until it is killed by frost in the late fall or winter. The small flowers bloom for only a day but are immediately replaced by new blossoms.
Lots of sun, regular watering, and monthly feeding are the only requirements for prolific blossoms.
Pests and Diseases
Compared to other species, the blue daze is a disease-free plant. Yet, there is one common problem to keep an eye on fungal problems like pythium fungus. It results from waterlogged soil.
The roots become blackened and decay, looking saturated. The disease can spread into the stems leading to premature death. To control pythium, you can use a fungicide for the disease. The best is to take healthy cuttings to grow a new blue daze.
Pest you can find is fungus gnats and shore flies.
Potting and RepottingÂ
Dwarf morning glory can be grown in any well-drained pot filled with a lightweight, well-draining potting mix. Pots can be any material, but lightweight plastic is a good choice for hanging baskets.
Repotting should be done whenever the plant becomes root-bound. However, this plant is not a good permanent container plant, as the stems will become woody with sparse flowers. It is a rather short-lived perennial and is usually discarded after a couple of years. Before discarding, take stem cuttings to propagate new plants.
Overwintering
When grown as an annual, plants should be pulled out and discarded at the end of the growing season to prevent self-seeding, which can be prolific. In colder climates, potted plants can be brought indoors to overwinter as houseplants. Dwarf morning glory may continue to bloom all winter long if placed in a sunny window and watered regularly.
In warm climates, both plants in a garden bed and potted plants can survive outdoors year-round. Cut back the stems and reduce watering. Do not feed during the winter months. As the stems become woody with age, flowering is reduced. Most gardeners growing this plant as a perennial replace it every three or four years.
III. Types of Evolvulus
- ‘Blue Daze’ Evolvulus
Evolvulus ‘Blue Daze’ offers bigger blue flowers than the common form and has slightly hairy gray-green foliage.
- ‘Blue My Mind’ Evolvulus
This cultivar with trailing silvery-green foliage stands out by its extreme heat tolerance so it is the best choice for warm climates. It grows 12 inches tall and spreads up to 16 inches.
- ‘Hawaiian Blue Eyes’ Evolvulus
The flowers of this popular cultivar are slightly bell-shaped. New flowers appear daily throughout the growing season. The low-growing plant spreads 2 to 3 feet wide.
IV. Uses and BenefitsÂ
The blue daze you can grow as a ground cover in the garden. It has lovely blue flowers and is a tough but tender perennial. In cooler parts of the United States, gardeners grow it as an annual.
Another impressive thing is growing them in coastal gardens or a container. The low-growing spreading plant thrives in a sunny spot to create an ocean of sky-blue flowers. The blooms grow atop silvery green leaves.