Some of the most popular ornamental vine types are documented here but there are many more and new varieties are being developed regularly.
Sweet potato vine blackie care.
Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas named for its edible cousin is an ornamental warm season annual grown for its attractive leaves and vining habit the foliage lends a tropical feel to the garden and comes in a range of colors and varying forms.
The sweet potato plant or sweet potato vine has been cultivated for around 2 000 years for its sweet tasting tubers.
They are bred for the beauty of their leaves rather than edible tubers and the vines from these plants make them look more like a morning glory or clematis than a member of the potato family.
Popular varieties like marguerite have small round tubers while varieties like blackie have longer narrower tubers.
Overwintering sweet potato tubers.
Propagationsow seed in spring after chipping them or soaking them in water for 24 hours.
Caregrow in moderately fertile well drained soil in full sun.
Otherwise there are several easy ways of overwintering a sweet potato vine.
One of the easiest ways to create multi seasonal interest in the garden is to use plants with interesting foliage.
Root softwood cuttings in.
That means the tubers it forms are actually edible.
Bulb like tubers grow just beneath the surface of the soil.
Ipomoea batatas blackie.
Blackie is usually grown as an annual.
While tolerant of drought these plants prefer to be kept moist not soggy.
Sweet potato vines are available in many countries around the world.
Though prolific growers you may fertilize monthly if desired using a general all purpose water soluble fertilizer.
Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species.
The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.
Often grown in container gardens for its trailing stems of purple chartreuse or variegated foliage ornamental sweet potato vine is actually related to the sweet potatoes you d grow in your vegetable garden.
Provide support or use as a groundcover.
It is said that columbus brought the plant to europe from the new world on his expedition missouri botanical garden though the variety of sweet potato plant that produces the edible tubers can be planted for its trailing vines more recently different variations have been.
I discovered the blackie sweet potato vine about a year ago when i purchased several simply because they were so lovely to decorate my patio when we held a large pool party for my husband s family.
Sweet potato vine winter care.
If you have space you can simply bring the plants indoors and grow them as houseplants until spring.
The care of sweet potato plants is similar to most other vining houseplants in the home spending summers outdoors.
Types of sweet potato vine.
Sweet potato vine ipomoea batatas blackie is a fast growing tropical vine that gracefully spills over the edges of patio containers or hanging baskets.
Blackie is an impressive variety that.
Shelter from cold drying winds.
