Ornamental · Convolvulaceae
Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine
Ipomoea batatas
Give it sun, warmth, and steady water, and this forgiving vine spills color over beds and pots all summer.
Full sun
Every 2–5 days
50–95°F · 10–35°C
USDA 9–11
Overview
Ornamental sweet potato vine is a plant you grow for its leaves rather than its roots, and it is wonderfully hard to get wrong. It is the very same species as the food crop, Ipomoea batatas, only bred for bold foliage in shades that run from chartreuse to a near-black purple. Tuck it into a bed or a pot and it will pour over the edges quickly, weaving a low, colorful carpet for you.
This is a warm-weather friend with no patience for frost. It settles in happily across hardiness zones 9 to 11 and is grown as an annual anywhere cooler, leafing out fast once the soil warms and fading back at the first hard cold. One plant can reach 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 m) wide while staying just inches tall, so it is a natural choice for spilling over a wall or a pot rim.
Best of all, it asks very little of you. Give it sun, warm soil, and water that never runs dry, and it grows so freely that trimming becomes the main chore. It flowers only now and then, with pale pink to violet funnels, but the foliage is the whole reason to grow it, and you will find it forgiving of the odd misstep.
Care
The short version: full sun to a little shade, evenly moist soil rich in organic matter, and warmth above frost. Feed it through the season, trim it whenever it wanders past its space, and simply enjoy it as an annual where winters turn cold.
Light
Give it full sun for the richest leaf color, though it will happily accept partial shade too. The dark-leaved kinds keep their color best with plenty of light, and in shade they simply lean a little greener.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and it will thrive, yet once it is settled the vine forgives a dry spell. Pots dry out fastest and will wilt as a clear watering cue, so peek at containers in full sun every couple of days through summer and you will stay ahead of it.
Soil
Set it in loamy, well-draining soil worked full of organic matter. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 suits it beautifully, and good drainage keeps the roots from ever sitting wet.
Temperature
It is happiest in the warmth between 50°F and 95°F (10°C to 35°C) and slows right down in the cold. Frost will kill it outright, so bring it in or replant rather than leaving it out through a freeze.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity is plenty, and there is no number you need to chase. The vine handles muggy summer air just fine, though a little airflow helps keep leaf fungus from settling in.
Feeding
Feed it every two weeks through the growing season with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer to keep fresh foliage coming. A high-phosphorus starter at transplanting gives your new plants a lovely early push.
Pruning
Trim the vines anytime in the growing season to gently rein in the spread and keep beds or pots looking neat. It takes a hard cutback in stride and bounces right back, so there is no need to be timid with the shears.
Size & spacing
Expect a low mound just 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall that spreads 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 m) wide. Give it room to roam or plan to trim, since one plant covers a good deal of ground in a single season.
When to plant
This gentle vine waits for warmth and lets go at the first frost, so timing is on your side once you know the rhythm. Start tubers or cuttings indoors a few weeks before the last frost, move the plants outside once the soil has warmed in late spring, and let them run happily until cold weather closes the season.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Not typically started from seed; start tubers or root stem cuttings indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost.
- Plant: Set out plants after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed in late spring.
- Harvest: Grown for foliage; rarely flowers (pale pink to violet funnel-shaped blooms). Tubers can be dug in fall before first frost.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 9–11
Temperature: down to -7°C
Troubleshooting
When something bothers this vine, it usually shows on the leaves first, whether from thirst, a fungus, or a nibbling pest. The good news is that most of it is only cosmetic and easy to head off. Find what matches below and act early, and your plant will bounce back.
Spots and blotches spreading across the leaves
These marks are fungal leaf diseases, and they tend to creep in when the vine goes back into the same soil season after season. Damp, crowded leaves give the spores an easy start, so it is nothing you caused. Pick off the spotted leaves, thin things out so air can move freely, and next year give it a fresh spot, and it will come back healthy.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected foliage
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
Leaves going limp on a hot afternoon
Take a breath, because this is only drought stress and not a disease, and it shows up soonest in pots baking in full sun. The plant is simply drinking faster than the soil can keep up. Give it a deep drink until water runs from the drainage holes, then water your containers a little more often through the hottest weeks, and the vine will perk right back up.
Fix:
- Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom
- Increase watering frequency for containers in full sun
Ragged holes and stippling chewed into the leaves
A few hungry visitors are to blame here: flea beetles, thrips, and slugs all nibble this vine and leave the leaves looking ragged. Keep an eye out for tiny hopping beetles, a dusty speckling from thrips, or the shiny trails slugs leave overnight. Pick off or trap the slugs, stay on top of the beetles and thrips, and tidy away the leaf litter they hide in, and the damage stays minor.
Fix:
- Hand-pick or trap slugs
- Monitor and treat flea beetle and thrips populations as needed
Toxicity
Here is happy news for pet owners: this vine is completely safe. The ASPCA lists Ipomoea batatas as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and it poses no threat to rabbits, livestock, birds, or people. The tubers are even edible, just a little blander than the kinds grown for the table.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax with cats around. The ASPCA lists Ipomoea batatas as non-toxic, so a curious nibble will not make them sick.
Dogs None
There are no toxic compounds to worry about, and the ASPCA gives it a clean bill for dogs. If a pup chews on a trailing vine, they will be just fine.
Horses None
Horses are welcome to graze nearby with no harm done, since the ASPCA rates the plant non-toxic to them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits have nothing to fear in the leaves or stems, so a stray bite will not cause any trouble.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can be around the foliage safely, because it carries none of the toxins that tend to worry farmers.
Birds Safe
Both pet and backyard birds are perfectly safe here. The plant holds no compounds that would harm them.
People Safe
It is gentle to handle and grow around children. The tubers are even edible, just not as flavorful as the varieties raised for the kitchen.
Varieties
Most of your choice really comes down to leaf color and shape, so pick what makes you happy. These are the cultivars you will meet most often.
Blackie
You get deeply lobed leaves in a purple so deep it looks nearly black across the whole bed.
Margarita
This one brightens a planting with cheerful chartreuse-green heart-shaped leaves.
Sweet Caroline Group
It arrives in green, red, or dark purple with divided or heart-shaped leaves, giving you an easy match for almost any color scheme.
Tricolor
Its variegated green leaves are splashed with soft pink and white.
How to propagate
This vine multiplies so easily that anyone can do it, whether from cuttings of a plant you already love or by splitting its stored tubers come spring.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Take 8 to 10 inch cuttings from vigorously growing terminal or middle vine sections in the warm growing season. · Roots typically develop in about 4 to 5 weeks.
Cuttings make this an easy plant to share and multiply, so do not be nervous. During the warm growing season, snip 8 to 10 inch pieces from the tips or middle of a healthy vine and stand them in water or moist soil, where roots quietly form in about 4 to 5 weeks. Just wait for frost to pass before you plant your rooted cuttings outdoors.
DivisionEasy
In spring after last frost, divide stored tubers into sections. · Several weeks to sprout and establish.
You can also gently split the stored tubers in spring once the last frost has passed. Cut each tuber so every section keeps at least one eye, then tuck the pieces into the ground outdoors. Be patient, since they take several weeks to sprout and settle in.
Myths
Sweet potato vine is poisonous to pets because it is a morning glory relative.
You can set this worry aside, because the ASPCA lists Ipomoea batatas as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. The trouble with toxic seeds belongs to the ornamental morning glories, Ipomoea tricolor and I. violacea, whose seeds carry LSA and other indole alkaloids. Sweet potato vine shares the family name, not the danger.
The tubers of ornamental sweet potato vine are inedible.
Go ahead, the tubers of the ornamental cultivars really are edible. They simply taste blander than the ones bred for the dinner table, which is why they are grown for their pretty leaves and not their flavor.