Glasnevin Chilean Potato Vines

Solanum crispum Glasnevin, Chilean Purple Potato Bush / Vine

The Glasnevin Potato Vine is a wiry, vigorous climber that is ideal for covering up a sunny wall at the back of a border. It is evergreen in most parts of the UK, only shedding its leaves in cold winters up North. The light violet-purple, star shaped flowers have golden yellow stamens, some fragrance, and last from mid-summer into October, followed by decorative, poisonous (and totally inedible) fruit that ripen from green to look like tiny yellow tomatoes. 

Features

• Semi-Evergreen 
• Violet-purple star flowers, yellow stamens.
• Scented.
• Pale yellow decorative fruit, deepen in colour as they mature.
• New spring growth is bronze.
• Flowers Jul-Oct
• Vigorous to 6m
• Good for sunny walls, needs support.
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Growing Potato Vine

They require alkaline or neutral soils and plenty of sun. They like clay as long as the drainage is decent, but a light sandy soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in is best. Established plants tolerate dry soil quite well.

We suggest letting your plants establish for one year, then prune them every early spring by snipping side shoots down to two to four buds from a main stem, and reducing the height by up to one third as necessary. After two, maybe three years, start to prune out between one quarter to one third of the biggest main stems at the base to prevent overcrowding and make way for productive new stems. As always, remove dead, diseased and badly placed stems at any time. 
They do need to be tied against support. Dead head spent flowers in July to early September, then leave the last ones to produce berries. 

Did You Know? 

The Glasnevin National Botanic Gardens are in Dublin, by the River Tolka. The species is native to South America, mostly in Chile and Peru. Also known as Chilean Nightshade, all parts of the plant are toxic.