Cultivated varieties of dwarf morning glory (Evolvulus spp.), including Blue Daze and Blue My Mind, tolerate heat well and produce small blue flowers for a long time during the warm season.
They're tender perennials that can survive the winter in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 and warmer, though I would suggest providing cold protection during very cold periods. Or, you can treat them as annuals.
Unlike some of their morning glory relatives in the Convolvulus and Ipomoea genera, they're not invasive and weedy.
Blue Daze and Blue My Mind were named Louisiana Super Plants for 2023. These are low-growing, spreading plants that can be used as a ground cover or as a "spiller" in containers with a "thriller, filler, spiller" combination. They grow to roughly 6 to 12 inches tall and 8 to 16 inches wide. The hairy green leaves remind me of oregano in shape and size.
The name Blue Daze has been around for quite a while and is a little confusing, as it's sometimes treated as a cultivar and sometimes used as a common name for the species Brazilian dwarf morning glory (E. glomeratus). Blue My Mind ('USEVO1201', Evolvulus hybrid) is a more recently introduced, patented variety that has performed very well at the Hammond Research Station.
Plant dwarf morning glory after the last frost, on a sunny site with good drainage.
Let me know if you have questions.
Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).
