Ornamental Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato Vine 'Margarita'

On Apr 26, 2015, vossner from Richmond, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

This is the most vigorous potato vine in my garden. I used to grow it as a groundcovet but it got so badly eaten by bugs that I stopped and just grow it in containers and hanging baskets. Don't need to buy it any more as it returns reliably year after year. Would never be w/o it

On Apr 18, 2013, Jarolalo from Dallas, TX wrote:

I am in Dallas, which I think is important to the discussion. After trying these in baskets, I learned very quickly that I had to a) water them several times a day; b) get rid of them; c) get them into the ground or into a much larger container than the typical hanging basket. Except when wilted, they are so showy that "b" was not an option. The ground was the best solution (assuming you understand "the ground" in Dallas means a prepared bed rather than nature's black clay). The ground not only solves the watering problem, but, to my surprise, the plants come back, as one is doing right now. The first time one showed up for its second year, it almost filled a tree circle that is 14 feet in diameter. Gorgeous! They also do well in whiskey barrel sized planters. AND, they do well in ... read morecommon hanging baskets or pots if you commit yourself to watering them multiple times a day. That part I don't recommend. I think their best aspect is the broad brush of color, easily seen from a distance.

On Jul 1, 2011, marcoux from Albany, OH wrote:

Growing rapidly and beautifully on East side of house. All I do is water it each mornig before the sun comes up. Does anyone know if it will grow indoors?

On Aug 2, 2010, Crit from Sand Springs (Tulsa), OK (Zone 7a) wrote:

Great plant in both the green and purple variety. I've had good luck with both. The purple vine seemed to do better when getting morning sun and aftenoon shade. I have it in full sun now and it isn't growing as fast or as deep purple. It is a purplish-green. The green variety is terrific. I have multiple plants from the original one I planted in May. The easiest to root!!!! Just cut off the end of one of the runners, about 12" long, pick off the lower leaves and stick it in the dirt. Water well & keep damp. After a couple of days of wilting, it pops back up and takes off growing. The parent plant is in filtered shade, 3 in partial shade and 2 in full sun. I didn't have good luck last year in full sun, but the pot may of been too small. I've not seen any flowers but love the ... read morevines. Fast growing.

On May 21, 2010, RxAngel from Stratford, TX (Zone 6b) wrote:

I had this in a giant pot last year, and have purchased another one this year. While it says full sun, I have not had much luck with this one or a black one doing well in full sun. I had to really baby them both last year...but the black one did seem to handle the sun a little better than the green one.

I had such high hopes for the full sun aspect, as I don't really have much in the way of shade beds.

If they don't perk up soon (I'm giving them a chance to rebound after transplanting them into a planter), I will move them to my shade bed and see if I can train them up a trellis. I was really hoping for them to do well in the sun. It's really early in the season, so if they can't handle full sun right now, they will definitely not do well later in the su... read moremmer.

My mom always has beautiful hanging baskets done with ornamental sweet potatoes, but now that I am thinking about it, hers are usually always part to full shade.

Well, after reading the comments, I have found several comments that echo my experiences, so a couple of things...
1. The black varieties seem to tolerate the sun better.
2. The vines don't seem to do as well in containers, especially in the sun, most likely due to the high water requirement of planters, making full sun even more stressful to the vines in containers.

So, that explains it! I will put them both in at least a partially shaded area, and plant them in the ground, rather than a container. If I use containers, I will put the container in complete shade. Of course, in SW Kansas, it is so dry that I probably won't put much of anything in a container!

I will also keep my eyes open for the tubers when I dig them up to overwinter them. The tubers are edible, for those who have asked in earlier comments. How good they are will remain to be seen.

If they do well in the ground this year, I may put them around our mailbox next year and see if they tolerate the full sun better when planted in the ground...

On Nov 9, 2009, VICKI9947 from Arlington, TN wrote:

I love this plant. I have it planted on the east and north side of our home. It is beautiful and has nearly eliminated any weeding in these areas. I have cut the plants back and dug the tubers. The instructions to propagate from tubers says to let them dry for about 14 days to toughen the skin. Remove any roots that appear to be rotting, store in a cool, dry place in hay or dry moss. In early spring, plant the tubers in loose soil about 2 weeks before the soil reached 60 degrees. Remove the new plants from the tuber when they are 3-4 inches in height and plant in your flower beds. Leave the tuber in the ground to propagate more plants.

On Jul 13, 2009, khabbab from lahore,
Pakistan (Zone 10b) wrote:

It grows really fast here. Though i could not see it bloom last year. I think, short days this year will trigger its bloom this time. It has pretty foliage, grows best in soil bed.

On Jun 28, 2008, MaryandLance from Baton Rouge, LA wrote:

I am a beginning gardener. My husband used to be the only one that was interested in plants. He planted two Queen Palms, pretty tall, in a corner area of the yard near our new pool. We put some plants in there, however it looked sparse as they were all new, and I knew he would mulch it if I didn't think of something....I transplanted one Sweet Potato Vine back around Mid-April. Today it has completely taken over (in a good way). I love to check out it's new growth every day. It's in full sun. It actually seems to like the heavy rains we've been having. When it starts to overtake another plant, I merely cut the leaves back and put them in an 'empty' spot as 'mulch'. It has completely filled out that back corner just as I wanted it to. In areas where it is starting to take off whe... read morere it shouldn't...I just trim it back and have been putting in a large vase where it looks very pretty. I can transplant those later if I get the urge to.

On Oct 26, 2007, DreamSpeaker from New Port Richey, FL wrote:

I absolutly love this plant. When it is full and lush it gives out wonderful vibes that make you feel good as you stand next to it. It is very easy to propagate by tubers, cuttings, roots, just about any way you can think of. It loves the shade, the sun, and various inbetween settings. I have found that all you need to do is break off a piece and stick it into wet earth and it will grow into a lovely plant. There's really no need to put it into water and wait for roots to grow. Of course, you do need to keep it watered, especially in the heat of the day and while waiting for it to root.
I understand form the input of others that it's tubers are edible, but have never tried it yet. I'd like to find out if anyone ever eaten one and what it taste like? I have just recently moved and t... read morehe one I have has yet to put out tubers, so I must wait to try eating it. Would like to get some more input from those that have tried it to see if it tastes different from the "normal" varieties that we get from the stores. I'd love to hear back from anyone that has ventured into this epicurean delicacy.

On Sep 1, 2007, brummbaer2 from Greensboro, NC wrote:

Amazingly easy for us to grow. One vine planted in the ground has surrounded our mailbox and grows freely in full sun. Several vines in planters grow well from full to partial sun. The vine is much more restrained in a planter but still has the vigor to cascade over the sides. We have used a readily available plant food supplement about once a month for the planter vines.
Our ground vine has done well with minimal watering (unless it is sneaking a drink when neighbors with automatic sprinklers let their watering overflow down the roadside) and no feeding, but those in planters have required constant watering since mid July - daily in August - but then, our August had almost no natural rain and temperatures that set a new record for the month by 2+ degrees.
The color is splend... read moreid, and the small insect holes don't bother us - some concern at first until we realized that the vines grew faster than the bugs were eating!
We have not dug to find tubers yet and haven't thought about holding them over the winter. Our dogs have not yet tried to eat the leaves, though some leaves are in reach.
We also have two Blackie vines that have done well in planters in partial sun. They cascade even more than the Margaritas but are equally as thirsty.

On Apr 3, 2006, Suze_ from (Zone 7b) wrote:

I've gotten a little burned out on this one -- one just sees it used so often anymore. I used to plant it in large containers with cannas for 'filler'.

On Jul 15, 2005, Larabee from Houston, TX wrote:

In hot Texas, this plant grows extremely quickly--up to a couple feet in one week. It will also grow here in full sun, part sun, part shade, or full shade--it's pretty happy to grow anywhere you can plant it. The leaves look like large morning glory leaves. It looks fantastic in containers with other plants, and can cascade over the sides of the container (if you unwind it from the other plants first, because it will try to climb them) or will climb a trellis or other support behind the container. I've got it growing with red coleus and purple Persian Shield, and the contrast for the colors is wonderful.

On Jul 4, 2005, mkjones from Aurora, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

Super positive! I love this plant. I buy only one per year--then, I propagate it into numerous hanging baskets and garden beds.........it's gorgeous in a mass planting, just stunning!

On Jul 31, 2004, glitter6 from Detroit, MI wrote:

I live in zone 6- the sweet potato vine is doing great. Does anyone know how it grows inside ?

On Sep 9, 2003, DestinysPoetry from Fort Myers, FL (Zone 11) wrote:

I started the vine from a store bought sweet potato. In no time, there were tubers growing from the potato, and I planted it to soil. I did have trouble with the potato rotting, so I cut off the tubers, and potted them into soil. The bloom in the picture is the end result. A very easy plant to grow, loves sun, and lots of water.

On Apr 21, 2003, Bug_Girl from San Francisco, CA wrote:

Mine did not live through the winter and I am zone 10.