Sweet Potato Vine Flowers Photos

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 flowers photos.

While sweet potatoes all come from the same parent material out of southeast asia there is a big difference between the sweet potato you buy in the store and the tubers produced by the sweet caroline and the illusion plants. Typically used as spillers in containers they also make fantastic groundcovers typically spreading 4 to 6 feet. Ornamental sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes and are in fact the same species. Ipomoea batatas sweet caroline this variety is not just one coloration of plant but includes five separate color options yellowish green red purple bronze and light green varieties are available.

The sweet potato plant or sweet potato vine has been cultivated for around 2 000 years for its sweet tasting tubers. 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. 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 ornamental varieties are simply cultivars of the species plant.

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