Solanum jasminoides ‘Album’

Back to Buckingham Nurseries today – on the look-out for Solanum jasminoides ‘Album’.

The potato vine, in common parlance. The one that’s usually grown is Solanum crispum – I spotted one en route, flanking the front door of an old cottage and looking almost tree-like. That’s a nice plant, with blue flowers, just like the common potato to which it is related.

But its white-flowered relative is a much more elegant (and tender) proposition. It needs a sheltered spot, trained against a wall. It will not actually climb, but can be tied in to a system of wires or trellis. Once established, it will flower throughout summer and well into autumn.