Cardinal climber and cypress vine

About Cardinal climber and cypress vine

These fast, twining morning glory cousins carry small, bright red trumpet flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies visit (NC State, Illinois). Cypress vine has feathery, fern-like leaves; cardinal climber, a natural hybrid of cypress vine and red morning glory, has hand-shaped, deeply cut leaves and red flowers with a white or yellow throat, and it comes true from seed. Both come from tropical America; cypress vine reseeds freely and has naturalized in parts of the South and West, and as with other morning glories the seeds are poisonous.

Grown as a summer annual in every zone; perennial only in frost-free zones 10-12 (NC State). Arizona, Arkansas and Kansas seed laws restrict morning glory (Ipomoea) seed as a weed seed in seed for sale.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

• Start seeds indoors: 6 weeks before the last frost
• Set out plants: up to 2 weeks after the last frost
• Sow seeds outdoors: up to 2 weeks after the last frost

Sow seed beside its support after the last frost, or start it indoors about 6 weeks before setting out (Iowa State). Nick the seed or soak it for 12-24 hours first (NC State); a University of Alaska chart has seed sprouting in about 5-7 days at 65-70 F and moves seedlings into 3-inch pots. No sourced count from sowing to first bloom.

Soil

Average, well-drained soil kept reasonably moist; lean soil is fine, and it needs fertilizer only if the soil is very poor (NC State, Illinois).

Average, well-drained soil is fine; keep fertility lean (NC State, Illinois).

Feeding

Fertilizer is unnecessary unless the soil is very poor (NC State), and Illinois Extension advises keeping fertility to a minimum for morning glories.

Harvest

Blooms from early summer until frost. There's no need to deadhead, but picking off seed pods before they dry and split cuts down on next year's volunteers (NC State).

Varieties (3)

These vines have few named cultivars; NC State and Iowa State document these 3 forms.

In the kitchen

Safety: The seeds are poisonous (NC State: low severity): eating them can cause vomiting, and large amounts may cause hallucinations. Keep saved seed away from children.

Pets: Not listed by name, but the ASPCA lists morning glories (Ipomoea spp.) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses: indole alkaloids cause vomiting, and eating many seeds may cause hallucinations. NC State flags both vines as a problem for dogs, cats and horses.