For early Christians, the morning glory embodied the human life cycle: the morning bud was youth; the full bloom at midday was adulthood; and the closing blossom in the evening was old age.

Ipomoea hederacea is the flower of September. In the language of flowers, it says affectation, departure and farewell.

It has long been associated with the little folk. It was planted in hopes of attracting fairies to the garden – they are thought to protect any garden that welcomes them.

When I drove to Arizona for the first time, my car was checked at the state line for invasive plants. All species of morning glory are illegal there because it invades cotton and other crops. They take the five C’s of commerce seriously: cotton, citrus, copper, cattle and climate. Some species are also outlawed in Arkansas and Louisiana.

Some 3,000 years before Charles Goodyear discovered how to vulcanize rubber to build stronger tires, the Aztecs were making rubber balls that would bounce after being treating with the flower’s juice. They also used its seeds in rituals.

The entire plant, especially the root, is a purgative. The seeds were used in Asia to expel worms and as a diuretic.

The first recorded uses of morning glory come from China, where it was used medicinally and ceremonially. There, it is associated especially with unrequited love. In Japan, it symbolized mortality and was often grown in mystical botanical gardens.

The ruby-throated hummingbird will feed on the trumpet-shaped blooms, as will native moths, bees and butterflies. Bees will even take shelter inside the blossoms on chilly, drizzly days.

Sixteen of its thousands of species are native to the Southeast. It grows wild in Kentucky, climbing cornstalks and utility poles. As it is a twining vine, it will climb up any support unassisted by ties. To prevent it smothering adjacent shrubs, cut it back before it has a chance to twine around their branches.

If you don’t want it to reseed, pull up the vines before seed sets. If you want a fuller display, however, don’t tear down the previous season’s dead vines. “Flying Saucers” and “Grandpa Ott” are just two other popular varieties out of hundreds.

Some love the morning glory, others not so much.

Like any plant in your garden, if well managed, it will add beauty.

The fairies might help, too.

– A reference librarian, Lisa Karen Miller has been gardening and researching plant lore for many years. Have plant lore to share? Email lisalisa13131313@gmail.com.