How To Grow An Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Vine

Sweet potatoes aren’t just good to eat they’re also good to make a beautiful vining house plant! The quick growing vines will have purplish green colored leaves that are very attractive. You can grow them any time of the year and it’s an excellent activity for children to try their hand at gardening.

There was a time when sweet potato plants could be found growing in many kitchen windows. They were a cheap, easy yet beautiful way to have indoor plants. Sweet potato plants are making a comeback and once again are showing up in homes everywhere.

When choosing a sweet potato, pick one that is nice and firm. You can use either the yellow or red variety and if at all possible choose one that already has buds or “eyes” to produce a faster plant to enjoy.

Purple Passion Vine

Common Names: Purple Passion Vine, Purple Passion Flower, Passionflower, Holy Trinity Flower, Apricot Vine, May Pops
Latin Name: Passiflora incarnata
Family: Passifloraceae
Plant Type: Perennial Vine
Origin: America
Blooming Time: June to September
Temperature: *F
Height: 25′
Color: Green leaves, white, violet, purple, lavender blooms
Insects and Diseases: Generally pest free

Description:
The Purple Passion flower is a fast growing vine that can reach up to 20 feet or more. Both the fruits and flowers are edible on some varieties and many food items are made from the plant.

The unique flowers are about three inches wide and they have several petals accented with a purple fringe. The wonderful fragrance this plant gives off resembles that of carnations.

Purple Velvet Plant

Common Name: Purple Passion Vine, Purple Velvet Plant
Latin Name: Gynura sarmentosa
Family: Asteraceae
Plant Type: Tropical Perennial
Origin:  Indonesia
Blooming Time: Spring, early summer
Humidity: High
Temperature: 65 – 85*F
Height: 9′ or more
Color: Green, purple
Insects and Diseases: Aphids, mealy bugs

Description:
The Purple Velvet Plant is a gorgeous plant that has greenish leaves covered with a velvety purple fuzzy hairs. Each leaf has multiple tips and the underside is generally a reddish purple. Blooms are a yellowish orange color and have a very bad odor.

Wandering Jew

Common Name: Wandering Jew, Chain Plant, Purple Heart Plant
Genus:  Tradescantia
Family:  Commelinaceae
Plant Type: Perennial
Origin: South America
Blooming Time: Year round
Humidity: Average
Temperature: 50-75*F
Height: 3′-4′
Color: Green, purple, silver
Insects and Diseases: Aphids, scale, mealy bugs

Description:
The Wandering Jew is a beautiful vining house plant that has green heart shaped leaves with purple stripes and a silvery sheen. Depending on the variety, the leaves can be solid or variegated. Blooms are small with three petals and can be violet or white.

Heartleaf Philodendron

Common Name: Heartleaf Philodendron, Sweetheart Plant
Genus: Philodendron
Family: Araceae
Plant Type: Perennial
Origin: Tropical America
Blooming Time: Rarely blooms in captivity
Humidity: Moderate
Temperature: 60-85°F
Height: Almost unlimited
Color: Dark green, variegated
Insects and Diseases: Generally pest free when grown indoors

Description:
The Heartleaf Philodendron is a vigorously growing vine that is covered with glossy, heart shaped leaves. There are several varieties, some that have a yellowish or off white variegation  and the original dark green variety.

The vines can reach an almost unlimited length is well cared for. The heart shaped leaves are normally anywhere from 2-6 inches in width, but can reach as much as 12 inches on large mature plants.

When kept in a hanging pot the vines will gracefully hang, but it will cling and climb if given a vertical support.