GARDENING

There is a real upside to two new sweet potatoes making their debut in 2023.

That is actually part of their name, but their application in the landscape looks to be amazing. My take? Sweet Caroline Upside Key Lime and Sweet Caroline Upside Black Coffee — two climbing sweet potatoes — will be hot commodities next year.

The new Sweet Caroline Upside sweet potatoes scored high in trials. They scored 4.79 out of 5 at Penn State Flower Trials at the Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center. In Louisiana, they were recognized as Blue Chip Winning plants at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station.

In the Penn State trials, the plants developed a shrub-like look with their application, which was pleasant for sure. The LSU application, however, was beyond impressive as the plants were allowed to climb what appears to be a steel or iron trellis. This not only allowed the sweet potatoes to climb but also to run. Proven Winners suggests a potential height of 72 inches, but Sweet Caroline Upside might reach higher achievements in the south.

My first thought was, “Why do we need a climbing sweet potato when they run, cascade, tumble and drape with perfection?” Most of all, I asked, “What do we do with them?” So, with that thought in mind, I gave my trial plants to son James.

James planted his mixed together in a container with a copper-colored large tomato cage inverted to resemble a tower. James said he was surprised at the ability the sweet potatoes had to climb on their own without training. Neat freaks may want to simply move or push a running stem or shoot back into the center of the structure. As the plant outgrows its tower, a little snipping can certainly be done if needed.

Proven Winners has several designer recipes for each color. One of my favorites is called Morning Breeze. It features Sweet Caroline Upside Key Lime ornamental sweet potato on a small trellis as the thriller, with Truffula Pink gomphrena as a filler and Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Star petunia as a spiller. Toss in the expected butterflies and pollinators and this will be one special container.

Like all ornamental sweet potatoes, the Sweet Caroline Upside varieties like fertile, well-drained soil, and that's especially true in the landscape. This usually means incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter into heavier clay soil. A container with potting soil will be like a dream come true.

Plant your Sweet Caroline Upside sweet potato transplants at the same depth they are growing in the container, spacing 18–24 inches apart, and use as tall of a climbing support structure as appropriate for your container or landscape application. Don’t forget about the possibilities with fences, gazebos, pergolas, towers and trellises. The potential is 6 feet and possibly more with a spread of approximately 36 inches.

These sweet potatoes really are in the category of easy to grow and tough-as-nails. Even still, plan on giving them water during those hot, dry periods. They also grow back quickly if you need to trim them.

Next year looks to be really exciting with all of the new plants. Using a climber like Sweet Caroline Upside Key Lime or Sweet Caroline Upside Black Coffee will give you a new, vertical dimension in the landscape.

Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.