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Annual Biennial

Ipomoea batatas Solar Power Black ('Balsolablack')

Twining climber usually grown as an annual foliage plant to 30cm tall, with a compact, mounded and trailing habit, densely branched with tapering, 5-lobed, dark-purple leaves

Synonyms
Ipomoea batatas 'Balsolablack'

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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
1–2 years
Ultimate spread
0.5–1 metres
Growing conditions
Loam
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Purple
Summer Purple
Autumn Purple
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Drought resistance
Yes
Hardiness
H1C
Botanical details
Family
Convolvulaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Trailing, Bushy
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

Trade

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How to grow

Cultivation

Grow outdoors in the summer months in well-drained soil in full sun with shelter; overwinter or grow in containers under glass in peat-free, John Innes No.2 compost in full light with shade from hot sun, watering freely in growth and use a general fertiliser monthly; water sparingly in winter

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring or summer, or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • hanging basket
  • Patio and container plants
  • Bedding
  • Conservatory and greenhouse
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Pinch out tips to keep the plant bushy and compact

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite if grown in a conservatory or greenhouse

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus and powdery mildews

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