Sweet Potato Vine
(Ipomoea batatas)
Hardy to Zone 9
Bloom Time - Rarely flowers
Foliage - Heart-shaped, bright green, purple, chartreuse, variegated
Size - Spreads to 8-10 ft. in ground, lesser spread in pots
Exposure - Full sun - part sun
Culture - Easy to grow in well-drained soils and containers. Set out plants (or tubers) after danger of frost and fertilize about every month with a general balance fertilizer. Tubers can be dug out before frost and stored in a dry medium in a cool basement or garage.
Comments - A very popular foliage plant that works well as a "spiller" effect in containers or hanging baskets. It can also be used as a groundcover plant. The tubers are edible but are not as tasty as varieties bred for crop production. Species plants produce pale pink to violet trumpet-shaped flowers but ornamental varieties usually do not flower.
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Bloom Time - Rarely flowers
Foliage - Heart-shaped, bright green, purple, chartreuse, variegated
Size - Spreads to 8-10 ft. in ground, lesser spread in pots
Exposure - Full sun - part sun
Culture - Easy to grow in well-drained soils and containers. Set out plants (or tubers) after danger of frost and fertilize about every month with a general balance fertilizer. Tubers can be dug out before frost and stored in a dry medium in a cool basement or garage.
Comments - A very popular foliage plant that works well as a "spiller" effect in containers or hanging baskets. It can also be used as a groundcover plant. The tubers are edible but are not as tasty as varieties bred for crop production. Species plants produce pale pink to violet trumpet-shaped flowers but ornamental varieties usually do not flower.
Return to Perennials and Annuals