Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Sweet Potato Vine Purple Heart
Sweet Potato Vine Purple Heart is a compact trailing vine with dark purple, heart-shaped leaves. It stays low, only a few inches to about 10 inches tall, while its runners spread 2 to 3 feet over the edge of a pot or basket. The purple is richest in sun, so give it morning sun with a little afternoon shade in the Valley. It grows fast through the warm months with regular water.
Best for: patio pots and hanging baskets, mixed containers, and low summer cover along the front of a bed with morning sun.
Its runners stay compact, spreading about 2 to 3 feet, so they spill over the sides of a hanging basket. Use a basket with drainage and water it regularly in summer.
Plant it at the rim of a mixed container so the purple leaves trail over the side. It grows fast and fills the edge of the pot within the season.
At only a few inches tall, it covers the front of a bed through summer. Plant it where it gets morning sun, which keeps the leaves dark purple.
In shade the leaves fade toward green. Freezing nights kill the leaves back. Highly alkaline desert soil needs amending before planting.
- Bed or border12 in apart
- Looser groundcover18 in apart
This is a thirsty plant in summer. Water regularly so the soil stays evenly moist, about once a week and more often in hot spells, and watch for wilting.
The purple color is strongest in sun and fades toward green in shade. In the Valley, give it morning sun with a little afternoon shade, away from hot west walls.
Freezing nights kill the leaves back. In the low desert you can carry it through winter by covering it on frost nights.
Shape the runners lightly through the season as needed. Feed it once a month with a water-soluble plant food while it grows.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Purple Heart sweet potato vine get?
It stays about 4 to 10 inches tall, with runners that spread 2 to 3 feet. That compact size suits pots and hanging baskets.
Why are my sweet potato vine leaves turning green?
The purple color needs sun, and the leaves fade toward green in shade or long cloudy spells. Move it where it gets more morning sun.
Can sweet potato vine take full sun in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun, but in the low desert it does best with a little afternoon shade. Keep it out of hot western afternoon sun in summer.
How often should I water Purple Heart sweet potato vine?
It is thirsty in summer. Keep the soil evenly moist, watering about once a week and more often in hot spells, and water right away if it wilts.
Does sweet potato vine come back after winter?
Freezing nights kill the leaves back. In the low desert it can make it through winter if you cover it on frost nights.
When should I plant Purple Heart sweet potato vine?
Plant it in spring, once nights stay above about 50°F. It grows fastest in warm weather.
Does Purple Heart sweet potato vine bloom?
It is grown for its leaves, and its flowers are small and seldom seen. Choose it for foliage color, not flowers.
Is this the same as the Purple Heart groundcover?
No. This is a sweet potato vine with heart-shaped leaves. The Purple Heart groundcover sold separately is a different plant, Setcreasea pallida. Check the botanical name when you order.
What soil does sweet potato vine need?
It wants fertile soil that drains and stays evenly moist. Highly alkaline desert soil needs sulfur or another acid-forming amendment before planting.
Sweet Potato Vine Purple Heart for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Purple Heart is a compact sweet potato vine grown for its dark purple, heart-shaped leaves. It trails over pots and baskets and loves summer heat with regular water. Below you will find its size, sun needs for good color, watering, frost care and soil.
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Purple sweet potato vine for Arizona pots
Purple Heart is a compact sweet potato vine with dark purple, heart-shaped leaves. Its runners spread 2 to 3 feet, so it trails over pots and hanging baskets.
How to keep sweet potato vine purple
The leaves are darkest in sun and fade toward green in shade. In the Valley, morning sun with a little afternoon shade keeps the color without scorching.
Watering sweet potato vine in Phoenix
It is a thirsty plant in summer. Keep the soil evenly moist, about once a week and more often in hot spells, and water right away if it wilts.
Is sweet potato vine frost hardy?
No. Freezing nights kill the leaves back. Cover it on frost nights if you want to carry it through a Valley winter.
Purple Heart vs Marguerite sweet potato vine
Purple Heart has dark purple, heart-shaped leaves and stays compact. Marguerite has bright chartreuse leaves and spreads much wider, up to about 6 feet.
When to plant sweet potato vine in the Valley
Plant it in spring once nights stay above about 50°F. It grows fast through the warm months.
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