Sweet Caroline Light Green Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Caroline Light Green')
eye-poe-MEE-ah bah-TAH-tass 'Sweet Caroline Light Green'

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you)

Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato vine, is a tender tropical perennial in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), grown here as a fast, vigorous foliage plant for containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds. The same species produces the edible culinary sweet potato, though the ornamental selections sold here are bred for colorful leaves rather than for eating. Trailing or mounding stems carry heart-shaped to deeply lobed leaves in shades ranging from near-black purple to chartreuse and variegated, depending on cultivar. Given full sun to part sun, it grows quickly; left unconstrained in warm climates the species can spread 8 feet or more in a season, though most garden cultivars sold here stay considerably more compact. It occasionally produces funnel-shaped, white-to-lavender morning-glory-type flowers, but blooms sparsely, especially this far north, and is grown almost entirely for its foliage. Not winter hardy in the Chicago area; it is killed by the first hard frost and is replanted annually.

Pros

  • Fast, vigorous trailing foliage fills containers and beds in a single season
  • Wide range of leaf colors across cultivars, from near-black purple to bright chartreuse
  • Non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, unlike many true morning glories
  • Easy-care and heat-tolerant

Cons

  • Not frost-hardy; killed by the first hard frost and must be replanted each year here
  • Can spread aggressively and root wherever stems touch soil if left unchecked
  • Flowers rarely in cultivation; grown almost entirely for foliage
 

Plant Data

Tags Annual, Annual in Chicago, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Deciduous, Edibles, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Shade Tolerant, Spillers, Tender Perennial
Foliage Color
 

Rankings

Photos of This with...

Sweet Caroline Light Green Sweet Potato, ColorBlaze Alligator Tears Coleus, Superbells Yellow Chiffon Calibrachoa, Sunsatia Lemon Nemesia, Supertunia Bermuda Beach Petunia, Angelface Perfectly Pink Angelonia, Superbells Grape Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells Lemon Slice Calibrachoa, Miss Lilac Superbells Million Bells, Superbells White Calibrachoa, Laguna Sky Blue Lobelia, Supertunia Bordeaux Petunia, Supertunia Picasso in Purple Petunia, Supertunia Royal Magenta Petunia, Angelface Blue Improved Summer Snapdragon, Angelface Blue Summer Snapdragon, Angelface Super Pink Summer Snapdragon, Proven Accents Pegasus Begonia, Surefire Rose Begonia, Heart To Heart Radiance Elephant Ear, Superbells Cherry Star Calibrachoa, Superbells Double Twilight Calibrachoa, Superbells Dreamsicle Calibrachoa, Superbells Evening Star Improved Calibrachoa, Superbells Over Easy Calibrachoa, Superbells Pomegranate Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells Red Calibrachoa, Superbells Strawberry Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells Sweet Tart Calibrachoa, Superbells Tropical Sunrise Calibrachoa, Superbells Yellow Improved Million Bells, Superbells Yellow Calibrachoa, Toucan Yellow Canna Lily, Senorita Rosalita Spider Flower, Prince Tut Papyrus, Dolce Appletini Coral Bells, Let's Dance Moonlight Bigleaf Hydrangea, Hippo Rose Polka Dot Plant, Sunpatiens Compact Tropical Rose Impatiens, Sunpatiens Tropical Rose Impatiens, Fiber Optic Grass, Live Wire Fiber Optic Grass, Pink Chablis Deadnettle, Luscious Citrus Blend Lantana, Luscious Royale Cosmo Lantana, Royale Pina Colada Lantana, Luscious Royale Red Zone Lantana, Laguna Dark Blue Lobelia, White Knight Sweet Alyssum, Violet Knight Sweet Alyssum, Pardon My Pink Bee Balm, Charmed Wine Shamrock, Boldly Dark Red Geranium, Boldly Hot Pink Geranium, Supertunia Black Cherry, Supertunia Indigo Charm Petunia, Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo Petunia, Supertunia Picasso in Pink Petunia, Supertunia Royal Velvet Petunia, Supertunia Vista Paradise Petunia, Mojave Red Purslane, Lemon Coral Stonecrop, ColorBlaze Strawberry Drop Coleus, ColorBlaze Velveteen Coleus, Colorblaze Golden Dreams Coleus, Limon Blush Coleus, Meteor Shower Verbena,
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2023 : 03/02 - 05/21

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


Estimated Recipe Cost

The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!