It's nice to see that some plants are thriving in this heat. I know we certainly aren't. We moan and whine a lot these days. We are now into our 26th straight day of temperatures over 100 degrees. It is miserable with no end (or rain) in sight.
One of the plants going gangbusters in the heat is sweet potato vine. This relative of morning glory has many new forms and a few new colors now. Tricolor is one of the original varieties with lovely variegated leaves of pale green, creamy white and pink.
It is usually not as vigorous as the black or chartreuse varieties, but this year its runners have spread 6 to 8 feet in every direction. The other plants in the bed - roses, lantana and Lollipop verbena - were becoming totally covered up by the vine. And our garden art disappeared under the sprawl. So today I got out there and cut it back severely.
Here's another bed with sweet potato vine. Tricolor on the right and a newer 'Sweet Caroline Purple' variety on the left. The 'Sweet Caroline' line was bred to be more compact and it seems to be much tamer than its older cousins. They grow into mounds about 3 feet around instead of sending out long runners. Much nicer for containers and smaller flowerbeds.
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