Ipomoea batatas 'Bonita'PBR
sweet potato 'Bonita'
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
Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metresTime to ultimate height
1 yearUltimate spread
1.5–2.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drainedpH
Acid, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Purple | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H1CBotanical 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
Get involved
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