Sweet Potato Vine Plant Flowers

One of the easiest ways to create multi seasonal interest in the garden is to use plants with interesting foliage.

Sweet potato vine plant flowers.

Care of sweet potato plants. Relatives of the familiar garden morning glory sweet potatoes have the latin name ipomea batatas in their native habitat the plants will produce flowers. The ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant. Edible sweet potato vines and some ornamental varieties bloom with flowers that resemble morning glories in shape but some ornamental sweet potato vines do not flower according to missouri.

Gardeners turn to the sweet potato vine for its ability to power through just about anything while bringing interesting shapes sizes and colors to a pot or plot. Leave all of the stems exposed. Use a well draining pot large enough to accommodate it comfortably. Sweet potatoes are tropical perennial vines that may have originated in india although until recently scientists thought the plant was a south american native.

It does best in full sun and warm weather temperatures should remain above 55ºf before planting outside. Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. Though prolific growers you may fertilize monthly if desired using a general all purpose water soluble fertilizer. Typically used as spillers in containers they also make fantastic groundcovers typically spreading 4 to 6 feet.

The plants produce edible tubers as well as leaves. The care of sweet potato plants is similar to most other vining houseplants in the home spending summers outdoors. A hanging basket is a good choice for this plant s vining habit. Sweet potato vine does well in containers where it is a common spiller plant.

Some of the older varieties may even grace your garden with a few sporadic lavender blooms that look like a slightly more tubular morning glory and for good. While tolerant of drought these plants prefer to be kept moist not soggy. Plant the sweet potato in a container of potting soil when each vine has as least four to six leaves. A vigorous annual or a tender perennial it takes off in summer heat.

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. 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. With edible sweet potatoes as with most root crops and herbs it is important to remove any flowers.