Photo: Forest and Kim Starr — CC BY 3.0 us · source
Survives zone 8 through 9
Ornamental passionflower — fruit small and largely insipid. Care: Winter protection — mulch, fleece, or a warm wall.
- Hardiness
- Zone 8 to 9
- Habit
- Vine
- Edible part
- Flower, Fruit
- Ripens
- Late summer–autumn
- Mature size
- Vigorous vine; tender types container/greenhouse
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
- Environment
- Montane
- Status
- Cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 1–3 yrs
- Pollination
- Self-fertile (most cultivated types)
Growing guide
Fertilizing. Fast-growing vine with a fairly heavy appetite in the growing season — feed monthly with a balanced fertilizer; excess nitrogen produces lush foliage at the expense of flowering and fruit.
How it spreads. Vigorous climber spread by bird-dispersed seed; in mild, humid climates (notably Hawaii, and in parts of its native Andes) it has become a serious invasive that smothers canopy trees, so self-seeding shouldn't be assumed harmless even in a cooler garden.
Growing tips. Needs a sturdy trellis or wall to climb; top growth is frost-tender, so winter protection (mulch, fleece, or a warm wall) is needed at the cold end of its range; prune after flowering to keep size in check and encourage new flowering wood.