Spotlight™ Black Heart Sweet Potato Vine

Spotlight™ Black Heart is a compact sweet potato vine in Ball Seed's Spotlight series, with a mounded, spreading habit and naturally branched growth. The breeder describes the series as having bold-colored foliage that holds its color in extreme heat, and lists this selection for partial sun to sun. ## Form and placement Ball Seed lists this selection at 8–10 inches high and 16–20 inches wide, with 10–14 inches of spacing; its compact habit suits packs, small pots, mixed containers, and window boxes. The page describes Spotlight as a compact series for popular heart- and cut-shaped leaves, and notes that Black Heart is slightly more mounded and upright than Lime Heart. NC State describes Ipomoea batatas generally as frost-susceptible and often grown as an annual in colder climates, preferring full sun or partial shade and loamy, well-drained, organic-rich soil. Those species-level notes provide background; the exact dimensions, spacing, habit, and culture for this selection come from Ball Seed. [Ball Seed](https://info.ballseed.com/webtrackplantinfo.aspx?ENV=P&phid=060201785010622) [NC State Extension](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-batatas/) ## Maintenance Use the breeder's medium-water recommendation and provide good drainage, especially in small pots. Ball Seed lists this selection as drought- and heat-tolerant and low-maintenance, with monthly fertilizing in its grower notes. Its listed bloom season runs from spring through autumn. [Ball Seed](https://info.ballseed.com/webtrackplantinfo.aspx?ENV=P&phid=060201785010622) [NC State Extension](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-batatas/)