Top Ten Climbing Plants – The potato vine
The potato vine (Solanum), with its adorable name is indeed connected with the potato family, being a member of this starchy clan. It is a more unusual climbing plant which is not fully hardy within colder climates during winter months. Due to increasingly milder winters in the UK the popularity of the potato vine is becoming apparent both in gardening centres and within the common garden.
A gorgeous flower is the incumbent of the vine and it proudly produces purple or bluish-white flowers of a striking appearance alongside a vivid yellow stamen.
Height: 4 – 6 metres
Flowers: June – Autumn
Family: Solanaceae
The flowers of this ‘jasmine-scent’ like vine are surrounded by shiny leaves of dark green appearance which emanate a lovely fragrance
To enable survival during the winter months, the potato vine needs to be enabled to grow alongside a sunnier west or south facing object, so a fence, pergola, trellis structure or walled area is perfect for this purpose and also gives protective features from frosty, damp or cold weather. Within frosty areas it is also recommended that the potato vine is grown under surfaces of glass.
The vine needs careful positioning within direct sunlight and has an average growth rate when placed in soil which is well drained, but of moist nature. The potato vine is a half hardy plant and sometimes can produce miniscule black-purple coloured berries during Autumn periods and generally flowers between June and September each year.
Gardeners will need to carefully adopt vine pruning of the side shoots to reduce to around 3 or 4 buds in either early springtime or later winter periods. Gardens of all shapes and sizes can benefit from this useful addition. The potato vine provides flowering stages that are of considerable length, later proudly displaying resplendent autumn time berries.
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