Re: Sweet Potato vines

**"* T* <m*@hort.net>**

Well, Dan, I'm hoping some others will also report on the tuber
colors...would be interesting to find out whether there is major
variation in tuber colors for these two.

I tried the tricolor several times; always a wimpy plant that just
never amounted to anything - never even made a tuber as far as I
could tell; often just faded away mid season - so I quit getting it,
despite the neat leaf variegation.  I got  'Ace of Spades' once, but
it didn't make enough tuber to overwinter.

I grow some in containers - mostly the 'Margarita' who live with some
Canna 'Bengal Tiger' in a large container, but 'Blackie' is most
always planted out in the ground in a couple of spots - have a bunch
of those tubers of varying sizes.  Once in a while one or more of
those will end up in a container as well.  They can cover a vast
amount of territory in a season in the ground.

Also have a rather neat one, 'Sweet Caroline Bronze'; has an almost
cinnamon colored leaf.  It's not as vigorous as either 'Margarita' or
'Blackie', but has hung on for several years now - it lives in a
container as well.  Those container plants just get repotted in
spring - if they're lucky; if not, I throw some Osmacote in the
pot...'Sweet Caroline' grows all winter as a houseplant - not
luxuriously, but it lives as it doesn't get enough light to do much
in winter.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
Shadyside Garden Designs
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----------
> From: Dan Clost <dan.clost@sympatico.ca>
> Hi Marge,
> Yep, it might be interesting to see what other? colours might turn
up.
> The sweet potatoe vines I refer to  were all grown in containers of
various 
> sizes- never actually planted out into a flower bed. plant.
> We did sell a tri-coloured sweet potatoe vine for a short while,
two 
> seasons, but we could never get a good healthy looking plant,
especially 
> compared to the vital Marguerits.  The leaves- green, white margin,
pink 
> fringes- at least that was the variegation most of the time. I did
take a 
> look at the tubers, looking for scab or any other reason for poor 
> performance. All I can remember is that they were about the size of
an 
> unshelled peanut.
> Dan

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