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Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm™

Ipomoea

General Information GROWING TIPS

Can’t decide between a green or purple sweet potato vine for the spiller in your containers? Try this variegated selection that’s a little of both! Its heart-shaped, near-black leaves are speckled with green - each one is nature’s masterpiece. Compared to older variegated forms, the shape of Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm™ is fuller, so you won’t need to continually trim to prevent it from getting scraggly as it grows. Expect the new leaves to emerge green, then develop their unique patterning with maturity and exposure to sunlight. Any leaves that remain solid-colored can either be removed or enjoyed – either way, the plant will thrive all season.

Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm™
Blossom Color No Blossoms
Bloom Season Spring, Summer, Fall
Exposure Part Sun to Sun
Height 6-16 in
Width 20-36 in
Spacing 10-18 in
Container Sizes Eco+ Grande
Hardiness Zones 11
Wildlife Attracted No Wildlife Attracted
Wildlife Deterred No Wildlife Deterred
Features Can’t decide between a green or purple sweet potato vine for the spiller in your containers? Try this variegated selection that’s a little of both! Its heart-shaped, near-black leaves are speckled with green - each one is nature’s masterpiece. Compared to older variegated forms, the shape of Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm™ is fuller, so you won’t need to continually trim to prevent it from getting scraggly as it grows. Expect the new leaves to emerge green, then develop their unique patterning with maturity and exposure to sunlight. Any leaves that remain solid-colored can either be removed or enjoyed – either way, the plant will thrive all season.
Available Seasons Spring
Adaptable as a Houseplant No
Bog Plant No
Is Disease Resistant No
Drought Tolerant No
Edible No
Erosion Control No
Fragrant Flower No
Fragrant Foilage No
Heat Tolerant Yes
Native to North America No
Salt Tolerant No
Succulent No
Water Plant No
Uses

Works great in landscapes as an annual ground cover, as well as in combination planters and containers by themselves.  The plant is very adaptable, working in both sun and shade conditions.

Maintenance Notes

Ipomoeas are great additions to combination planters, but they can sometimes overwhelm less vigorous plants.  You can let your combination plants duke it out Darwinian style, however, if you prefer to keep a more balanced look to your combination planters, you can cut back or remove stems at any time to give other less vigorous plants a better change to compete for space.

Ipomoeas also make great annual groundcovers in the landscape. They love the heat and humidity, cooler temperatures and low humidity cause them to stay more compact.

While Sweet Potatoes all come from the same parent material out of Southeast Asia, there is a big difference between the Sweet Potato you buy in the store and the tubers produced by the Sweet Caroline plants. Commercial sweet potatoes have been bred for over 100 years selecting for those with the best sugar to starch content (hence the name SWEET Potato), the ornamental versions have been bred to produce good leaves and no tubers, though they do sometimes form small tubers. these tubers are composed of almost pure starch and no sugar; making them a poor choice for eating. So yes you can eat the tubers, but don't expect anyone to come back for seconds! Also always be careful when eating any ornamental plant unless you know how it was grown, and if pesticides or fungicides were used on it before you got it; a tuber is a storage root, and yes they store chemical as well as starch.

An application of fertilizer or compost on garden beds and regular fertilization of plants in pots will help ensure the best possible performance.

2025Top Performer - University of Florida - Fort Lauderdale
2025Top Performer - University of Wisconsin - West Madison
2025Top Performer - Boerner Botanical Garden
2025Top Performer - University of Missouri
2025Top Performer - University of Minnesota - Grand Rapids
2025Top 10 Performer - Beds - North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2025Leader of the Pack - Beds - North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2025Leader of the Pack - Early Season - North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2025Leader of the Pack - Late Season - North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2025Best of Breed - North Carolina State, JC Raulston Arboretum
2025Top Performer - UGA
2025Top Performer - In Ground - Colorado State

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