Garden Notes

Patio collection of pots with Blackie sweet potato starting to bloom.

Each spring I plant a few pots with flowers to place on our patio. The plants vary from year to year, but I especially like the ornamental sweet potato vines, (Ipomoea batatas) both the lime green ‘Margarita’ and the purple/black version called ‘Blackie’. While being actual sweet potatoes or root vegetables, the Ipmoea batatas have been selected for their colorful foliage and the tubers they produce while edible, are somewhat bitter. They are relatives of the morning glory and sport glorious foliage that cascades over the side of the planter. They add a lot of color, especially late in the season when other plants are beginning to fade and have become one of my favorites.

Sweet potatoes love heat and full sun to partial shade, but need consistent moisture. If wilting occurs, a drink of water perks them right up. When autumn arrives, the tubers can be lifted and overwintered indoors. Then, in spring you can simply plant the tuber in back into your pot along with your other plant selections. Another way to save this plant is to take cuttings, root them and grow the vine indoors in a sunny window. If the vine gets too big, a bit of trimming forces the vine to grow fuller and clippings can then be rooted and planted. When spring arrives, your sweet potato vine and any clippings can be moved outdoors.

This spring I planted my pots as usual using sweet potatoes as my cascading plants. Around the middle of August, I noticed that one of my blackie sweet potatoes had started to bloom with flowers resembling morning glories. It was a nice surprise since I was not aware that sweet potatoes ever bloomed. After a bit of research I found that flowering sweet potatoes are not unusual when the plant is happy, so I guess I must be doing something right.

Close-up of morning glory type flowers blooming happily on blackie sweet potato.