Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green' (Sweet Caroline Series)

Synonyms

Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Heart Light Green'

Herbaceous Perennial

A tender, trailing perennial, normally grown as an annual, to around 25cm in height with heart-shaped, lobed golden-green foliage. Grown as an ornamental for its foliage, it works well in hanging baskets, patio pots and window boxes or covering a trellis to add colour and texture

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 1-1.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H1C

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Convolvulaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing, Trailing
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Ipomoea can be annuals or perennials, often twining, or evergreen shrubs, with simple, lobed or dissected leaves and tubular or funnel-shaped flowers which may be solitary or borne in racemes or panicles
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a peat-free multipurpose compost in containers, or in the open, in a rich well-drained soil in sun or part shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by softwood or semi-ripe cuttings. Edible cultivars are grown from slips (rooted shoots from a tuber). These can be potted and grown indoors in spring and planted out once there is no risk of frost

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Hanging Basket
Patio and container plants
Bedding
Conservatory and greenhouse
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite if grown in a conservatory or greenhouse

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus and Powdery mildews