Moonflower in Zone 10a & 10b

Ipomoea alba

When to plant moonflower in zone 10b

Zones 10a and 10b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Moonflower tolerates either.

Start indoorsDec 26–Jan 2 '27
Direct sow / transplant outsideJan 30–Feb 6
Estimated bloomApr 30–May 7 (~90 days after planting)

Spacing: 2 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 10-20 ft.

Moonflower
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.

Moonflower is a morning glory that runs on the opposite schedule. The flowers, white trumpets six inches across, open in the late afternoon and close at dawn, and they're scented for a pollinator most gardeners never see: hawkmoths and sphinx moths, working the plant after dark. If you sit outside on a summer evening you can sometimes watch a bud unwind in a couple of minutes.

How moonflower fits zone 10's season

Zone 10b's frost-free window runs about 324 days, from January 30 to December 20. Moonflower needs about 90 days from sowing to first harvest.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Moonflower.

Where to buy moonflower seeds

See why we recommend these suppliers →

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a genuine consensus of positive, independent reviews. See the sources cited on each item.

See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing moonflower" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)

← Back to the full zone 10b calendar · Full companion planting guide · Full plant profile · Plan your beds in the Garden Designer →

Growing Moonflower in USDA zone 10b

Pin this for later

Growing Moonflower in USDA zone 10b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a bloom.

Save to Pinterest