Where to buy seeds
Some links are affiliate links — Verdantly may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more.
Tall Night Flowering Moonflower is a vigorous annual vine that transforms evening gardens with enormous ivory-white blooms reaching 5 to 6 inches across. This Ipomoea alba variety grows rapidly up trellises, fences, and archways, reaching 15 to 20 feet with remarkable speed and fragrance that intensifies as night falls. Growing from seed to first flowers takes 110 to 119 days, rewarding patient gardeners in zones 10 to 12 with one of the most spectacular and sweetly scented nighttime displays in the plant world.
Full Sun
Moderate
10-12
20in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
The flowers are truly extraordinary: enormous, pristine white blooms that unfurl as the sun sets, releasing an intoxicating fragrance into the cool evening air. These vines are vigorous performers from seed, establishing quickly and scaling considerable heights with minimal fussing. The contrast between delicate appearance and robust growing power makes this a showstopper for anyone with vertical space and patience to wait for midsummer blooms.
Tall Night Flowering Moonflower serves as a dramatic ornamental vine, grown specifically for its nocturnal flowering display and evening fragrance. Gardeners train it up trellises, arbors, fences, and tree trunks where its large white blooms and sweet scent become focal points of nighttime garden enjoyment.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, as this variety needs warm soil to germinate reliably. Sow at a depth of 1/4 inch in warm soil kept between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged during germination, which typically occurs within 7 to 14 days.
Transplant seedlings outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed thoroughly, typically when nighttime temperatures remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Space plants 36 inches apart and provide sturdy support structures immediately upon planting, as vines grow rapidly and become difficult to train once established.
In zones 10 to 12, you may direct sow seeds into warm soil after the last frost date, planting at 1/4 inch depth. Space seeds 36 inches apart. Direct sowing typically adds 2 to 3 weeks to time to flowering compared to transplants.
As a vigorous vining annual, Tall Night Flowering Moonflower rarely requires pruning for health, but you may lightly redirect wayward stems early in the season to guide growth along your trellis or support structure. Avoid heavy pruning once the vine is established, as it disrupts flowering. Deadheading spent blooms is unnecessary and not typically performed on this variety.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.