A Garden Surprise

In October I posted a photo of my sweet potato vine --- bright green, lush, and spreading beautifully from oak barrel to surrounding space. Do you see why I mourn the first killing frost? It's so ugly once blackened and wilted by the freezing temperatures. I thought it might be a good idea to uproot it and plant something else in it's place. . .

So I went to find my bulbs and decided that regular and double narcissi would look pretty in the oak barrel in the spring. It's at the end of an island in the front yard and is one of the first things seen when anyone drives in the driveway. Was I ever surprised when. . .


I pulled on the dead vines and tugged on something solid and large. I couldn't remember putting any rocks in the oak planter, so curiously started to dig and found two very large sweet potatoes! I've always planted these as ornamental, never thinking that they were actually sweet potato plants and would bare roots. Do I dare bake them for dinner? I guess I need to do some research.

Here's the new look for winter --- bulbs safely covered with 5" of soil and ready for winter snows and then the first shoots of spring!