Just look at my rapidly growing sweet potato vine. I typically buy the chartreuse and purple sweet potato vine every spring. They are cheap and grow through fall.
The vines grow like crazy if you don’t snip them every now and then.
The wild purple morning glories that spring up here and there every year have about taken over the fence. Below is the English Ivy I planted a few years ago, hoping for more privacy by the alley.
Above are the other morning glories I planted by the French doors. I love looking out while I’m eating and seeing this delicate pretties.
Hard for me to believe that I purchased this one plant with purple flowers and it grew this big. (I’m blocking on the name of the plant. Can someone tell me what it is?)
I’d never planted it before, but I love it so will look for it next year.
I’m still getting my money’s worth out of the yellow/gold zinnia seeds I planted. The purple ones that were tall have already faded away.
There are still buds on this plant so I can be assured of at least a few more flowers.
I wonder if they could reseed here for next year? Does anyone know much about zinnia reseeding?
I’ve never planted them in this blue container garden before. But other plants have reseeded here.
Just look at this whopper of a fish Andrew caught over the weekend. He’s straining to pull it in.
He and his dad typically spend Saturday mornings fishing at the community pond in their neighborhood.
A token shot of Ivy…
One of you mentioned in the comments the side effects of restlessness in the drug Theophylline. This is a medication that Charlie had recently started taking for his cough.
I stopped giving it to him once I read your comment.
Charlie has been very restless of late. Can’t sit still. Constantly laying down and then immediately getting up and starting all over again. So maybe this is the cause.
Thanks for the tip.
A couple of months ago I had sweet potatoes that had been sitting on the counter for too long and had sprouted roots. I planted them in a po (literally just covered the potatoes with a few inches of soil), and a few days later I had a sweet potato vine growing like mad. It’s lush and gorgeous. No need to take a trip to the nursery!
I love sweet potato vine. I have it growing with dahlias in a basket that’s on the front of my old childhood bicycle that I use in my garden as decor now. Another vine that grows like crazy is passion flower vine.
Andrew is so cute. 🙂
My sweet potato vine was gorgeous too. My morning glories huge but not one flower unfortunately. Andrew looks so proud of his catch!
Please be sure and check with your vet because the theophylline does help with asthma and I assume dog trachea breathing problems. Call the vet and tell him about Charlie’s nervousness, maybe he can adjust the dosage or the timing of taking the medicine. I was willing to have the nervousness way back then to be able to breathe easier. Putting forth so much effort in catching his breath when coughing will wear little Charlie out. Please be sure and call your ASAP vet about whether or not he should go off theophylline before withdrawing it completely
I called the vet yesterday morning. He told me to try just giving it to him in the morning. So I’m doing that now.
Good evening Brenda, I love seeing all of your family photos. Andrew is so sweet, as are Charlie and Ivy.
The garden is gorgeous!!!! I love seeing it.
To answer your question, we have decided to stay put for a bit, between housing market and Covid we don’t want to feel rushed to buy a house that we do not want.
Take care
I think your purple plant is Heliotrope!
Andrew is so adorable. Thank you for sharing that picture !
Dumb question but why do they call it a sweet potato vine? Does it actually grow sweet potatoes?
Yes, I have seen a potato occasionally, although I’m not sure they are the cultivated ones sold in stores.
Brenda, your drandson is darling, enjoy him! All the best to dear Charlie and meow that silly kitty!
Googled it for you: Sweet potato vines are in the same family as edible sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). They are bred for the beauty of their leaves rather than the growth of tubers. The vines from this plant make it look more like a morning glory or clematis than a member of the potato family.
I have been giving my 12 yr old Yorkie mix PawHealer’s Hound Honey for his collapsed trachea for over a year. Definitely not a “cure all” but he does have fewer and less severe coughing spells since he has been taking it. No side effects and he doesn’t mind the taste (I add the recommended dosage to his am & pm feeding ). Maybe it could be helpful for Charlie?
I’ve never grown a sweet potato vine, or even seen one, except in pictures. I love yours!. Do you plant these from seed, or are you able to buy them already started? I have looked, but like I mentioned, never have found anything.
I’ve saved your picture of Ivy to my “cats” board on Pinterest. She certainly is beautiful.
I bought it as a plant at the nursery.
Your grandson sure caught a biggie there! It’s almost as big as him. He must have been really excited.
Zinnias are my favorite and I grow different kinds. The Magellan I like to buy plants and get a longer show. They stay uniform in size, and resemble a short hedge. Sometimes they reseed that way, but not after a cold Ohio winter. I have a spot I plant from seed that did so well this year! I like to plant long and short ones mixed together, as well as different size and shapes of flowers.
When I was dealing with my Maci’s health issues, the vet told me that pain in dogs can sometimes manifest as restlessness. Also, if he’s on a steroid, that can also cause restlessness. And someone else commented about the cough medicine as well.
Let the bloom on the zinnia dry and save it for seeds. There will be a seed at the base of each petal. Keep in a cool dry place for planting next spring.
that’s the most adorable little boy face with his handsome daddy and the big fish than I’ve seen in a long time! what a wonderful tradition they have together already.
and side effects are almost as bad as any condition the med is treating! glad it might be that… and you’ve stopped it in time.
I love your pictures of your home and family ALWAYS! xo
Brenda, I have a sweet potato vine from several years back that reappears about this time of year so it doesn’the have time to get very large. I haven’t planted them in recent years because they spread all over everything. Need to find a place where I want that much growth. Love the way your decorating and your garden are looking!
Your sweet potato vine is doing great. Mine is too. They are always such great growers.
Hope taking Charlie off the cough medication will help.
Have a great week.
Your flowers are gorgeous. Nice photo of Andrew and his fish and his dad. He must have been sooo excited.
I believe the purple flower is Heliotrope.
Yes! I just couldn’t think of that! Thanks.
When my MIL was alive I bought it for her. I have never run across it in anyone’s garden before. Every time I have seen it in your photos I think of her. In every blog created with words and photos there are so many levels of experiences, and memories. A wonderful connection of us all together. I love the excitement of the fishing photo, and I imagine that was a battle neither Andrew, or his Dad, will ever forget. The look on his face is priceless!