Just One-Night Stand?

Here is the 'morning after' picture of the Moonflower. The blooms only last one evening, and then its all over.

This is the bloom from the smaller of my two vines. Behind this bloom you can see another bloom that will probably open tomorrow night.

Something you can see in this picture (even though it's 'done did' its thing), is the long tube on which the flower blooms.

With such a long wait for the first bloom, it seems once it gets going the Moonflower just keeps on going. There are buds starting to crop up all over my two plants.







Here is a bloom for tomorrow from the bigger of my 2 vines. I might even have two blooms on this plant...see the bloom just behind?

I wish my camera took better up close pictures (or maybe just that I was a better photographer).

The flower buds themselves are very interesting with their ice cream cone kind of twist. A lot of flower and fragrance is gonna come out of this bloom tomorrow night. Maybe the bloom has to get a bit of a spring action going to make a 6inch power flower pop open...

Of the flowers I planted for the white garden this year, this might end up being one of my favorites...

Though it's a sort of one night stand with the flowers themselves, I might have a long term romance with the Moonflower Vine.

Finally, A Bloom!

At LAST!

A Moonflower Vine Flower,

actually two!

It's been a long time coming. Here is a picture of the first bloom. It was just opening when I came home from work tody at 7pm. This picture was taken at 9pm, and it was almost all the way open. What a nice fragrance, I was surprised at that.

The flowers are quite large. At first I had my husband hold the bloom for me, but the big bear paws he calls hands gave no sense of how big the flowers are. My hands are a normal size for a human being...so I used my hand in the picture instead.

Since Mother Nature has poured on the hot weather, the Moonflower Vine has gone crazy. It seems to grow 6 inches every day. I'm forever directing and twining vines around the poles and posts. The Moonflower likes to twine around itself especially. I'm also forever un-twining the Moonflower from other plants it seemingy wants to strangle.

These are the start of more Moonflower blooms. I corralled these vines today, and got them going on the posts in the right direction, and not all over the Carpet Rose in front of the fence.

This is the smaller of my two vines. It is not in as sunny a location, though only a few feet from the first, and has not gotten near as large. It is not 1/3 the size, yet it's first bloom opened today as well. Can you see tomorrow's bloom just above the white? I can't wait.

I Feel a Threat Coming On...or maybe a Prayer

I am having a very hard time waiting for this plant to bloom. It is a Moon Flower Vine. It is part of my only white plantings this year.
While I've not grown this plant in my garden before, I have seen them in other people's gardens, and I sell tons at the market. It gets a huge white bloom about 6"-8" across. It is fragrant. I know it to be a great flower, and I want to experience its greatness.

So far I am not.

I didn't realize it would be this late in the season and it would still be bloomless. Lacking. Scant. Barren. Without. Devoid. Less than endowed. (you get the picture)
I feel a threat coming on...not yet tho...maybe give it another 2 weeks...before I yell at it. In the meantime I will be complimentary of its growth (it is growing everyday). I will continue to train its vines and tendrils along the fence (as I have been doing every other day). I will give it a shot of fertilizer (for a 2nd time). I will say a little prayer to St. Fiacre (the Patron Saint of gardeners) to help along in the quest for some moon flower action. (and my Mom would love the fact that I asked a Saint's help...I love you Mom!)

So let's not waste time...
"Dear Saint Fiacre, Patron Saint of Gardener's (and Taxi's) it's me, Chitweed. Please help my little Moon Flower to get over its blooming issues. (You might take a gander at the variegated Hydrangea while your at it.) Thanx. "

Hey, I'm a good gardener...not-so-good a pray-er...but why not hone both skills?