Sweet Potato Vine 'Margarita' (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita'): Chartreuse Ground Cover

Sweet potato vine 'Margarita' (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita') is a vigorous, trailing annual grown for its luminous, chartreuse, heart-shaped leaves that form a dense, weed-suppressing carpet. It is a cultivar of the edible sweet potato but selected for ornamental foliage, not tubers.

Uses

Excellent as a ground cover, in hanging baskets, window boxes, and mixed containers where its bright color contrasts beautifully with darker plants. Grows 6–12 inches tall, trailing 4–6 feet or more.

Culture

Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil. Heat-tolerant. Pinch to encourage branching. In frost-free zones, it can be perennial but is usually grown as a warm-season annual.

Taxonomy

• Family: Convolvulaceae
• Genus: Ipomoea
• Species: batatas
• Cultivar: 'Margarita' (syn. 'Margarite', 'Marguerite')