I couldn't remember which site, however, but I did a search and found another reference to this.

"Unlike their agricultural counterparts, Ipomoea batatas ‘Marguerite’ and ‘Blackie’ are bred for ornamental properties rather than edible roots. ‘Marguerite’ is grown for its broad, heart-shaped, chartreuse foliage on trailing vines, and ‘Blackie’ is becoming a favorite in the garden for its dark purple, deeply lobed foliage that makes a great companion for plants with brightly colored flowers or foliage.

According to Janet Bohac at the USDA’s Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, ‘Marguerite’ seldom produces a "usable" edible root and ‘Blackie’ almost never does. If, by chance, such a root is produced, there is no reason it could not be eaten."
(end of quote)

I know one of my marguerite plants was started by planting the tuber last spring. It wasn't worth eating, however, it was only one tuber and the size of a golf ball, if that.

My vine definitely has grown alot this summer, compared to the cool summer last year.

Glen

Sierra

Northspruce, there are several ways to overwinter this plant...

Cuttings: one year in Sept I took cuttings, washed in case of bugs, then placed in a glass of water. They rooted within a week. They grow great on any reasonably bright or sunny windowsill for the winter, though they do like their share of water and get somewhat rootbound quickly.

Tuber: if your plant has developed a round tuber, you might try storing that for the winter. Last year I just took the entire hanging basket, cut off the dead foliage, and stored that in the laundry room. I suppose that method will only work if the plant itself has developed a tuber below the soil. Mine was in a pot with a tuberous begonia, so my intent saving the begonia, the potato vine was sort of a bonus.

Sierra, my vines grow in pots on the north side deck. They get perhaps 3 hours of sun. Mine are the marguerite variety, however, with lime green leaves. The only concern with the dark purple variety might be that it needs a certain amount of sun for best coloration? Still, I would think a few hours of sun or part sun would be okay.

Glen

Glen thanks for your intensive research - would you like to come over for Thanksgiving sweet potatoes. LOL. kidding. I think I will try some cuttings, sounds like a good idea. And if I get tubers I will save them too.

Oh and I found the tag, it says full to part sun.

I like the color....and I think lime green would look great too......maybe the two intertwined...Hmmm The shape of the leaves make the plant interesting....

Sierra

This was my first year growing them. In future I think I will put them with something bright, like maybe gazanias. Tiny Tim can entertain itself next year.

I have two ‘marguerites’, both originally from the same plant. One is growing in a hanging basket. It fills one side and an an orange hanging begonia fills the other side. I added some blue lobelia as well.

I have a hibiscus that I put outside for the summer and plant it in a tall and narrow urn planter. Marguerite is trailing over the side, down to the ground, and then growing along the ground. The growth on this plant amazed me because it was a scraggly 3 inch cutting earlier on in the spring.

Glen

Thanks,

Syreeta

Both of these plants (or plants in these genera) have common names involving the word "orchid".
The height you describe is likely too big for schizanthus ("poor man's orchid") but could fit the common impatiens species like the one I mentioned ("himalayan orchid", "himalayan balsam", "policeman's helmet"). Anyway, google 'em and have a look.

Hmmm, "Arctic orchid" sounds like quite a misnomer, given that it has no frost tolerance (unlike, for example, our native true orchids)...but that's common names for you!

If it's not the ones suggested, could you describe the flowers (shape, color, # petals), leaves (shape, color), stems, plant form, etc.? Did you buy it as a bedding plant?

deb

Sengyan

At the end of the season, I had completely forgotten about the ornamental sweet potatoes. The vines had all withered up and I was more concerned with harvesting the fruits and veggies in the main garden. Just before Thanksgiving, we were poking around the garden and upended the sweet potato bin. Inside were 5 or 6 very large, red-skinned tubers (about 1 per plant), in addition to several rather skinny, long ones. The flesh was a pale yellow.

We washed the tubers and my step-father cooked them up like a regular sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, and to my palette was the best sweet potato I've ever tasted. I was so surprised! The flesh was somewhat firmer than regular sweet potatoes, and the flavor was definitely different. I will be planting more of these this season.

It may be helpful to note that I checked the bin earlier in the season to see if there were any tubers starting, and I saw none. I dug up one complete vine and was disappointed. I replanted the vine and sometime after that the tubers must have begun growing. I do not remember what month I did this preliminary tuber check, but it was quite hot outside.