Ipomoea batatas 'Bonita'PBR

RHS Plant Profile
sweet potato 'Bonita'

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Climber Wall Shrub

A twining perennial climber to around 3m high, with heart-shaped green leaves and purple flowers in summer. Usually grown as an annual for its edible roots, which have pale tan-coloured skin lightly flushed with pink, and pale creamy flesh with a delicate nutty flavour

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid 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
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 well-drained, sandy loam in full sun, provide support for climbing stems. May be grown outdoors in warmer regions, but best grown under glass in colder areas. Optimum growing temperature is between 22-28°C. Ready to harvest after 90-110 days depending on conditions. See sweet-potato cultivation

Propagation

Propagate from slips (rooted shoots from a tuber); these can be potted and grown indoors in spring and planted out after frosts

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Climber and wall shrubs
  • Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Minimal pruning required, see pruning group 11

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshoouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

May be susceptible to fusarium wilt, powdery mildews and virus diseases