Bright Lights™ Deep Purple Sweet Potato Vine

Mast Young Plants’ effective 2020–21 catalog lists Bright Lights Deep Purple as a sweet potato vine product in the Bright Lights group, alongside Bronze and Light Green selections. NC State describes Ipomoea batatas as a vigorous annual vine or ground cover grown for ornamental foliage; this is species-level guidance, not a measured size profile for this selection ([Mast Young Plants 2020–21 catalog](https://germaniaseed.com/pdf/2021/741_mast_EOD.pdf); [NC State Extension: Ipomoea batatas](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-batatas/)). ## Light and soil NC State recommends full sun or partial shade in loamy, well-drained soil high in organic matter. Its species profile also describes sweet potato vine as drought resistant and frost susceptible; these are broad species notes rather than a cultivar-specific watering schedule or hardiness zone. ## Growth habit The species grows as a vine that can be trained or as a ground cover that spreads by runners. NC State gives species-wide dimensions of 3–5 feet across and 12 inches tall, but the historical Bright Lights listing does not provide a specific height or width for Deep Purple. Keep those figures as general species context rather than assigning them as measured points for this selection. ## Maintenance Plant after frost risk has passed. NC State notes that sweet potato vine can be propagated from root cuttings and from tuber cuttings planted after the last frost. Deer commonly damage the species, so protect plants where browsing is a concern.