Plant Calculator
Enter the approximate length and width of the area you will be planting and click 'Calculate' to determine how many Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie' you will need.
*Correct and successful spacing is complex and depends on project conditions.
Sweet Potato, Blackie
Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'
- Annual Vine
- Annual Groundcover
- Hanging Baskets
- Category: Vines and Groundcovers
- Hardiness Zone: 10b
- Height: 6-12 Inches
- Spread: 20-30 Feet
- Spacing: 12-18 in
- Bloom Color: Blue, Purple
Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’, commonly called Blackie Sweet Potato Vine, is a fast-growing ornamental vine grown for its dramatic, deep purple to nearly black, deeply lobed leaves. It adds bold contrast to garden beds, borders, containers, and hanging baskets, especially when paired with lighter-foliaged plants like 'Marguerite'. Its trailing habit makes it ideal for spilling over edges or weaving through mixed plantings as a foliage accent.
This cultivar thrives in full sun to part shade, but foliage color is richest in full sun. It prefers well-drained, fertile soil and consistent watering, though it can handle short dry periods once established. Blackie is not drought-tolerant in prolonged heat without irrigation and will perform best with regular moisture and occasional feeding. Its vigorous growth makes it an excellent space-filler or seasonal groundcover, though it may need trimming to prevent it from overtaking slower-growing plants.
In Central Texas, Blackie is grown as a warm-season annual, with peak performance from spring through early fall. It is cold-sensitive and dies back with the first frost. While tubers may overwinter in USDA Zone 9 or warmer, most treat it as a replanted annual each spring. For containers, plant alone or with upright companions that contrast with its spreading foliage. In the ground, space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
Additional Information about Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'
Seeds are poisonous