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Newest Ornamental Sweet Potatoes
| | AgCenter horticulturists Allen Owings and Jeff Kuehny discuss ornamental sweet potatoes at the recent ornamental horticulture field day. |
| | | | Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green |
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The newest line of ornamental sweet potatoes for home gardeners and commercial landscapers is the Sweet Caroline group, originally developed by researchers at North Carolina State University in 2002. They have become more available recently, and new and improved varieties have been released. Currently, the Sweet Caroline series is available in green/yellow, red, light green, bronze and purple. The Sweet Caroline Sweetheart series (with heart-shaped leaves) is now available in light green, red and purple. There is also the stand alone Bewitched variety with maple-leaf-shaped purplish-black foliage. So this is nine new varieties in addition to what we have already had – Marguerite, Blackie, Black Beauty, Ace of Spades, Lady Fingers and Pink Frost (aka Tricolor). These sweet potatoes have been selected for shorter internode lengths and reduced root size. They are more compact and mounded in habit than most other ornamental sweet potato varieties. Evaluations of all these varieties are under way at Burden Center and the Hammond Research Station.
Keys to success in the landscape:
- Plant late April through May
- Well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Adequately space -- 4-5 feet between individual plants
- Limit irrigation
- Limit fertilization
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| Posted on: 11/18/2007 3:27:48 PM |
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