The decorative sweet potato has broken free from the vegetable garden with colored leaf forms that are perfect for vining out of containers or stretching as ground covers across the front of a flower bed.
Description of decorative sweet potato: Sweet potatoes grow into ground-hugging vines that can reach 5 feet long. The lobed leaves are at once graceful and dynamic, especially when you plant purple and golden-leaved forms.
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How to grow decorative sweet potato: Plant rooted cuttings in sun or light shade as soon as warm, frost-free, summer weather arrives. Provide rich, moist but well-drained soil -- in a large pot or garden bed. Keep the soil moist and fertilize lightly. Plant sweet potatoes about 1 foot apart in garden beds or blend them with other plants in mixed containers.
Propagating decorative sweet potato: By softwood cuttings or with small tubers.
Uses for decorative sweet potato: The dark purple foliage of 'Blackie' looks good with purple, pink, and blue flowers. Chartreuse forms are ideal for warm-colored annual flowers.
Decorative sweet potato related varieties: 'Blackie' has purple leaves so dark that they appear black.
Scientific name for decorative sweet potato: Ipomoea batatas
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