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Ornamental Sweet Potato Vines are often overlooked by many gardeners, especially those in the north. It seems that these vines are a “southern” thing! I really enjoy their bright, light colored green leaves and violet/lavender blooms of the Margarita. These are great trailing vines for window boxes, hanging planters or perching planters. These vines are in the same family as the morning glory.
These vines fall into the category of being tropical and tender perennials, perennials, vines and climbers. Some only grow from 18 inches to 24 inches where others grow up to 36 inches. Some will only grow about 36 to 48 inches where others will grow four to six feet.
When you plant your Sweet Potato vines plant them from nine to 18 inches apart depending on the type you plant.
There are many varieties of sweet potato vines and a nice hybrid is the Ipomoea Blackie which needs to be planted in full sun to light shade. This plant requires well drained fertile soil. It is great for hanging baskets and containers as it is a really vigorous grower and will do well in a container with a trellis and you can move it indoors to a window that gets a lot of sun in the winter. This plant is an annual, but will survive if you move it inside for the winter. It has a spread of about 24 inches and grows to about six feet with wonderful purplish black leaves. Though it really doesn’t have blooms that amount to anything its leaves are beauty in themselves.
Though you can buy the tubers for these at your favorite garden center each spring you can save some money each year by being a frugal gardener if you store the tuber each fall.
Rooting is easy by simply removing the lower leafs of a vine just below a leaf node at a 45 degree angle with a clean knife or scissors. The leaf node is where the leaf has grown out of the vine or stem or will grow out of the vine or stem of the sweet potato vine. Put the leaf in water in a warm spot making sure you change the water daily especially if you put your water container in direct light.
You can also dig up your tubers in the fall and store them. I do not recommend washing them off. I would let them sit and dry, then brush off the tubers and store in a box with some straw away from anywhere that mice or other rodents might decide to use them as a winter feast. They should be all set to go in the spring.
“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…Peace, Light and Love,
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Many of her articles written for Greenthumbarticles have paintings she has created of the subject and they can be seen at her “How to Do It” site. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Many of her paintings are sold internationally and many of her works of art have been reproduced on note cards, post cards and other functional items and you can get Giclee prints of her artwork starting as low as $11.89 Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books, art, etc. go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my sites.”
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