Sweet Caroline Red Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Caroline Red') - Winnetka Plant Club | North Shore Plant Club

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



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
Foliage Color
Photos of This with... Sweet Caroline Red Sweet Potato, Campfire Fireburst Bidens, Superbells Tangerine Punch Calibrachoa, Honey Supertunia, Supertunia Hot Pink Charm Petunia


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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!

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.

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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!