any passiflora freaks out there(passion flowers)?

[Gato Moteado]

i had 4 or 5 species in my yard in austin. there are about 600 species worldwide, some are spectacular.

i want to cultivate as many of the native central american species as possible on my pacific coast land.

what species do you have? any photos to share? ever get any edible fruits from species like P.edulus or P.quadrangularis?

here's a photo of P.caerula i had in my yard in texas:


i also had P.caerula X P.incarnata (aka P.incense), P.foetidae, and a couple more small native texas species.

right now i have some potted P.edulus, and P.vittifolia waiting to go into the ground. these are tropical varieties that couldn't quite make it in austin.

[babylonsister]

1. I'd be a freak if I knew where to find them-that's gorgeous!

I'm in Houston so it might grow here; Where did you get your seeds?

I noticed this forum has been slow, but spring is just around the corner! :thumbsup: And I'm an optimist!

[Gato Moteado]

2. you can easily grow many species in houston

any native plant nursery should have well established vines for sale. if you can't find any in houston (and i'd be very surprised if you couldn't) then take a saturday drive to austin and go to barton springs nursery on bee caves road. you should be able to pick up 3 or 4 different species there (P.incarnata, P.caerulea,P.incense,P.foetidae), if not more. also, any gardening clubs in your area would be a good place to check.....passifloras grow easily from cuttings, so you'll find plenty of people to share them with you.

here's P.incarnata:


here's P.caerulea:


here's one of the subspecies of P.foetida:


this one is a great one for texas...a vigorous vine that will produce endless amounts of flowers..P.incense:


now, if you're close enough to the coast in houston and you don't get hard freezes, you should also be able to grow P.vittifolia:


the other cool thing about getting some big established passiflora vines in your garden is that you'll attract gulf fritillary, julia, and zebra longwing butterflies to your yard because the larva use the leaves as their food so the adults lay their eggs on the plant. additionally, the adults feed on the nectar and pollen so you'll always see them fluttering in your yard all day long.

here's the gulf fritillary:



here's the julia:


and, my favorite of the three is the zebra longwing:

[babylonsister]

3. Absolutely stunning! And now I know

why, if they are available, I'm not aware of them. We live in a regular old ranch-type house with not a lot of property. My husband doesn't like viney stuff because it's the gift that keeps on giving and is hard to control.
I will look this spring though; I'm sure a huge pot with stakes would do it and we could both enjoy.
These are just...yowsa!
Thanks!

[Gato Moteado]

4. you'll get a few flowers in a pot with stakes.......

....but if you really want the barrage of blooms, plant them in the ground and let them loose on a fence line.

i did a search on ebay and lots of people are selling all sorts of passiflora species there(both seeds and starts).

look here: http://search.ebay.com/passiflora_W0QQfromZR40

[babylonsister]

5. Thanks-now's a good time to start looking, so I will! nt

[Melissa G]

8. P.incarnata: was one of the reasons I chose the first house I bought

An unhelpful neighbor confused it with honeysuckle. He aggressively cut it back and it never recovered... broke my heart...

[Mr. McD]

6. We have 4 species, one I haven't photographed.

[babylonsister]

7. Beautiful, Mr. McD! Look at this one!

Found on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-Passiflora-RUBY-GLO-plant_W0QQitemZ7735085958QQcategoryZ43548QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem







<img src="" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

[dweller]

10. beauties

esp. the red.

dp

[dweller]

9. i've grown them for years

had one that did really well, grew up a trellis and over it one summer and bloomed hundreds of flowers. I was amazed at the amount of growth, then a year or two later it died (it was about 6 years old then).
But after starting some new seeds, found that the old one has sent out new growth and so still have plants all over my yard and garden to the point i have to cut some back/out to control them. They are very hardy here in NC in my locale, but hard winters obviously take their toll.

I dug up and cut some to give away to family members who have had some luck with them esp. in the coastal area. Maybe i should just pot a crop up and take them to the local farmer's market and see if they will sell, i really do have too many again this year (warm winter).

Fruiting will only happen if you have distinct plants to fertilize. My don't since i have them all coming from one, a Caerula like yours.

dp

[babylonsister]

11. Do you have an ebay account? That's where I got mine, which

is now planted near a trellis. I can't wait for it to take off!

[djeseru]

12. Hello!

What gorgeous shots! I love that red. I thought of planting that with an P.incense close enough for the red and purple blooms to shout-out together.

I just cleaned up the remains of last year's foetida, but sadly, I have to replace a couple that I lost in transit to the new place. When I find the photos, I'll get them posted.

[babylonsister]

13. Here's my newest acquisition!

[Gato Moteado]

14. that one is a robust cross.......

.....it grows fast and blooms vigorously. you'll love it.

[babylonsister]

15. Gato, you turned me on to these via ebay and you've created

two monsters! My husband is also enthused about the passion flowers and is talking about extending the trellis the length of the fence. :wow: We might need all the room we can manage w/the hot TX sun doing it's magic. Thank you!

[Theres-a]

16. Yes!

I buy one every spring at a nearby nursery,but every fall they die in the house.The blooms make wonderful little gifts,as many people have never seen them before.they get very excited,as did I the first time I saw one.If I ever live south,I will grow them yearround.They are my favorite!Nice to see you can get them on ebay!When I get mine this year I'll be sure to post photos in this thread. Thanks theresa


Not on topic,but anyone near far Northeast cconnecticut can get them at Logee's greenhouse in Danielson.Logee's is paradise for plant people.

[Gato Moteado]

19. what usda zone are you in?

it's possible that there's a species that will survive your winters, but i'm not positive.

[Theres-a]

20. Northeast Connecticut

I don't know my zone.

[Theres-a]

17. Old photo

http://community.webshots.com/photo/1161528021053836039ksrQfa>

[Theres-a]

18. Same plant (ugh-these are small photos!)

http://community.webshots.com/photo/1161528581053836039DHudHa>

[morningglory]

21. Love the flowers. Spectacular, however, I adore the butterflies, too, so

Don't be surprised that your first plantings are eaten down to nubs by Autumn. However, they will be baaaaaaack and so will clouds of butterflies!

[Gato Moteado]

22. i'm not sure why, but.....

....you never see the defoliated vines here in costa rica despite the fact that we have way more species of heliconius butterflies here that lay eggs on passiflora. in austin texas the gulf frittilaries could do damage to smaller passiflora vines. here the plants tend to be more vigorous i guess.

[Imalittleteapot]

25. Gulf Fritillary caterpillars

are having a grand time on my new passion vine. I'll let them have their feast. I hope they don't go near the lone tiny flower bud though. The last bud was knocked off by 70mph winds. Will I ever see a flower this season?

[Imalittleteapot]

23. Just got one at ebay. Seller called it Purple Passion Flower.

I have no idea what the flower will look like. The leaves are not like yours. A friend potted some seed. They are very easy to grow.

Any DUer want to share some seeds?

[Ecumenist]

24. I absolutely love passion flowers.....

grew up with them here in California but it was in southern California. They're almost like weeds there. I'm now in northern California and would absolutely love to have a passion or two but the area that I would like to have some is in far southwestern Tehama county @ about 500 feet above sea level. Although it's considered to be in zone 8 and in a weird microclimate with big time marine influences, I'm not certain of that the suitability of the area is conducive to passifloras.
I also want to mention that the area is within 15 miles of the coastal range. I suppose what I'nm trying to say is..........H-E-L-P!!

[Gato Moteado]

26. it should be no problem for the north american species......

...some are hardy to zone 6 or 7. you probably won't be able to grow the tropical ones unless you protect them in winter.

either way, gardening is always an experiment.....put a few in and see what happens!

[babylonsister]

27. Gato, have you ever heard of a passion flower that doesn't bloom?

I thought I bought a purple one on ebay, it's growing like a passion flower/weed, but I have not had one bloom from it. I'm really disappointed, and it's not looking like there are any.

[Gato Moteado]

28. have patience

it will bloom when it's ready.

do you know which species or hybrid it is?

[babylonsister]

29. Yes, see post#13 in this thread. An incense... nt

[Gato Moteado]

30. ah ok....passiflora incense.......

that's a hybrid. it's one of the most vigorous varieties i've ever seen. it will cover a fence in no time. and when it blooms, it will be covered with purple.

is it in a pot or in the ground?

[babylonsister]

31. In the ground, for at least 2 months! It is vigorous, but not one bloom

to be had. I also have the caerula planted next to it, and it's blooming like a good thing.
That's why I'm mystified, or could I have been snookered? The plant looks like a passiflora,
but no flowers.

[Gato Moteado]

32. give it some time.....

....that variety might like to really get well established before it blooms. once it starts you won't be able to stop it.

i had them in austin and they were unbelievable. a friend of mine in austin has them all along one fence in her yard...they have taken over and all year long (except for when it freezes) her fenceline is purple and green.

by the way, are you seeing gulf fritillary or zebra longwing butterflies hanging around your yard?

[babylonsister]

33. No, none of those species yet, but I'll be on the lookout now. I will

say that ALL species of bees love 'em! Thanks for your input; I'll just wait these purple passions out!

[Melissa G]

34. Does the vine get enough sun? My passion flower vines

had a light change, much more shade and they were not nearly as bloomy...

[babylonsister]

35. Tons, for most of the day. And as I said, the other passion flower

is blooming like crazy (they're planted next to each other), so I'm not understanding why no blooms on the incense. :(

[Melissa G]

37. Bummer..you think it could possibly be a food issue?

Have you tried some miraclegro?

[babylonsister]

39. I have used Miracle Gro on it, but may give it another good

shot as we've had so much rain this past week. I'll keep you posted if the blooms go anywhere!

[Melissa G]

41. Just went to an organic gardening workshop..

They do not like miracle gro.. They said it was like steroids for plants. They suggest bone meal, if i remember right. Ask one more time or read the label but i think that was it..
best,
mg

[Gato Moteado]

42. the miracle grow may do more harm than good........

....fertilizers generally promote the growth of foliage rather than the production of flowers.

just have patience. trust me...when it's ready to bloom it will blow your mind.

on edit: and if you're getting a lot of rain, there's nothing better for the garden. why contaminate perfect rain water with chemicals? if anything, a good few soakings from thunderstorms might be just what the doctor ordered for your lack of blooms.

[OnionPatch]

36. I bought one yesterday

It was labeled "sapphire" but it didn't have the scientific name for it anywhere on the package. :banghead: (I HATE when plant distributors do that!) Do you have any idea which type a "sapphire" is? I live in southern California but am at a higher elevation. We get some hard frost every year and sometimes even a dusting of snow so I'm trying to figure out just where I need to plant it but I'm not sure how hardy it is.

Love all your pictures and different types. This thread is eye candy!

[babylonsister]

38. Here's some info for you:

Paulownia kawakamii - Paulownia: Empress Sapphire



http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1975-2

Edit to add: this is another stunning one!

[OnionPatch]

43. Thanks!

I did some more googling. It says zone 10 for this one and I'm in zone 9. Guess I'll plant it somewhere sheltered and keep my fingers crossed.

[babylonsister]

40. Here's a link to see (and order) lots of passifloras:

http://www.logees.com/products.asp?dept=103&pagenumber=7&sort_on=title&sort_by=

[flamingyouth]

44. Yes - we have several in our backyard in Seattle

Just took some pics last weekend, in fact:

[babylonsister]

45. OK, the other plant bloomed.

It's purty, but not as described on eBay; it was supposed to be all purple. Sigh. Guess it's too late to demand my money back.:P

[Gato Moteado]

46. yeah, that certainly doesn't look like P. incense.....

...well the flower looks like it, but the color is wrong. it looks cool though.

send the pic to the guy you bought it from on ebay and see what he says.

[NMDemDist2]

47. PS I saw your snake in the garden (jungle) pics in the Lounge

:wow:

[Gato Moteado]

48. that's a rock and roll snake isn't it?

the photo doesn't do it justice. it's brilliant lime green.

[NMDemDist2]

49. it is! and your neighbor says most of them are yellow? that's the pic

I wanna see

costa rica RAWKS!

[Gato Moteado]

50. well, he said he sees the yellow morph from time to time.....

....hopefully i'll get a chance to photograph one soon.

[babylonsister]

51. Gato, do you have any ideas on how to get the seeds out of

these passaflora plants? Do you wait until they bear fruit?

[Gato Moteado]

52. yo sis.....

...yes, you would absolutely need to have fruits in order to get seeds. depending on the varieties you have you may or may not get fruits. so don't count on it. i know you at least have P. incense and i've never seen that one produce fruits....it's a hybrid and that could be why.

that said, you're still in luck. all passifloras propogate easily from cuttings.

[babylonsister]

53. Thanks, Gato! nt