Ornamental sweet potato vine
* Common name: Ornamental sweet potato vine
Sweet potato vine Sidekick Black Heart.
* Botanical name: Ipomoea batatas
* What it is: A close relative of the edible sweet potato, these starchy annual vines are grown for their colorful heart-shaped to elongated leaves, which are primarily golden, bronze, dark purple and black. Vine arms sprawl across the ground or trail out of pots and baskets. The Sweet Caroline and Illusion series are particularly good types. Sidekick Black Heart is a good dark-leafed variety.
* Size: Trailing habit of about 1 foot tall with a 3-foot spread.
* Where to use: Leading use is as a hanging-basket trailer, but sweet potato vines also do well trailing from big pots or sprawling across the ground. Versatile enough to grow everywhere from full sun to shade, although best leaf color is in more light.
* Care: Wait until after frost to plant out. In a pot, water every day or two when it doesn’t rain. Soak weekly in the ground in hot, dry weather. These will wilt in dry soil. Fertilize every 2 weeks in pots with a half-strength balanced fertilizer. In-ground plants usually don’t need fertilizer if compost and a timed-release fertilizer was added at planting. Snip back overly long arms as needed. Frost will kill them.
* Great partner: Pair with bushy, bright-colored annuals, such as marigolds, zinnias, geraniums, vinca and/or celosia.
Gold and dark-leaf sweet potato vines in a planter.
Sweet potato vine ‘Sweet Caroline Bronze’