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The passion flower belong to a chemical group of approximately 450 species of preponderantly evergreen , woody climbing iron that grow in tropic woodland in North , Central and South America , with a few outliers in Australasia .
In lucky conditions , the vines grow smartly and quickly as garden flora , and are easy to support with their numerous tendrils . The flowers are unusual and very alien - sounding , and on many potpourri they are followed by colorful fruit in good summer . The flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees , and in their native South America many are cross-pollinate by the outstanding Heliconiinae or longwing butterfly , large bees , hummingbird , or even bats .
Some species create clod of pocket-sized growths on the leaves that resemble butterfly ’s eggs , while others secrete fluid that attract ants . Both measures are target at deterring butterfly stroke from position testicle on the farewell and thus nullify defoliation by their caterpillars .
The brave varieties are well turn in a sunny and sheltered spot , while the more sensitive types can be originate in containers to be winter or keep class - beat in a greenhouse or conservatory .
The passion flower is associated with a majuscule stack of religious symbolism , and the name refer to the passion of Jesus in Christian divinity . Early Spanish missionaries to South American compare parts of the plant to Christ ’s crown of spine and the crucifixion nail and wounds , and believed that the typical purplish - blue and white colours of the flowers represent heaven and purity .
Passion Flower Care
Passion prime industrial plant are generally bought in 9 centimetre pots and are quick for planting out at any time of year , though not when the soil is frozen or there is a peril of frost . The most popular varieties such asPassiflora caeruleaare available from larger garden center , while specialist nurseries conduct a wider natural selection of species and cultivars .
When pick out a kind , make certain to match the garden ’s growing atmospheric condition with the plant ’s requirements , especially in carnal knowledge to lustiness . They will all appreciate a warm , sunny and sheltered position , but some types are only fearless in the warm and most sheltered parts of the UK , and some are only true in container that can be get into the conservatory of greenhouse for the winter . In general , the racy and lily-white diverseness are the hardiest .
A passion flower industrial plant will rise quite happily up a trellis using its tendrils , but for surety of backing , wires should be used on fence and walls , with growing theme loosely tied into these until the tendrils take over .
Before planting a new passion flower into its pot or garden position , water it thoroughly in its nursery mint . develop the ground by digging a maw twice the diam of the pot and at least 15 cm aside from the wall , fencing or treillage that is being used to corroborate it . Diggarden compostinto the fundament of the kettle of fish and pose the plant and its supporting cane in the hole so that the cane leans across and touches the keep . The top of the root ball should be flat with the surrounding land . Add more compost into the soil used to fill again around the plant . Tie the stems onto the financial support and water the plant in well .
Light requirements
Passion flowers prefer full sun or dappled shade in a military position that is well sheltered from frigid , drying fart . A south , south - west or west aspect wall is idealistic .
Plants produce in a glasshouse or conservatory may postulate some shading from unmediated afternoon sun in the summer to avoid scorching of the leaves .
Watering
Modern passion heyday plants should be watered often and exhaustively during their first year in the garden or pot . Continue to water them well during following summer , especially those grown in containers and pots . Garden plants will not subsequently require winter tearing except in keep up dry point on free - draining soil , and container specimens can be watered more sparingly outside the rise season , allowing the open of the compost to get to dry out between each lacrimation .
Soil conditions
The passion flower prefers somewhat fertile , well - drain but reliably dampish soil , though it will grow quite happily in most normal garden soil type within the distinctive range of sour and alkalinity .
Fertilisers
Regular feeding is not ordinarily necessary for garden - grown passion bloom , and the manipulation of nitrogen - labored fertilisers can lead to excessive leaf and root word growth at the disbursal of flowers . If the vitality of the flora does seem to turn down , the plants can be top - dress with line of descent , Pisces and bone or a general plant food at approximately 50 g per square measure of solid ground .
plant in containers should be give even fortnightly feeds during the growing season with an organic fluid plant food .
Repotting
New plants from the nursery that are to be get on in container should be transplant into 18 cm diameter military post . Some gardeners believe that passion flush plants blossom more profusely when their roots are restricted , so supervise the plant carefully and pot them on only when necessary , in all likelihood every three to four years . Use John Innes No 3 potting compost or a exchangeable good quality , peat - complimentary compost .
Pruning
A passion flower vine may need to be pruned in three situation . The first is to prepare a immature works into a desire shape and variant . The second is to promote bushy ontogeny generally , and the last is to rejuvenate damaged or neglected plants .
While the passion flower vine is a perfectly capable , self - cling , tendril climber , it is also attractive if fan - train . This will give the plant a care - for looking at in a more formal part of the garden . After set out a new vine , cut back the arise tips of all of the plant ’s shoots to advertise separate at the pedestal . As they produce , splice the selected framework shoots into horizontal wires or a trellis to encourage the typical sports fan bod , think of to leave sufficient space between the fan elements to display the attend blossom of pendulous varieties .
Once established , fan - trained plants can be pruned in spring to remove extended shoots and any hoarfrost damage . An yearly prune after flowering to thin side shoots to a span of buds from the independent devotee framework will serve maintain the shape .
An yearly pruning of a less officially grown vine will advertize a bushier signifier and thicker , stronger theme , and may aid to produce more flowers and fruit .
More vigorous specimens that are threatening to outgrow their blank and swamp surrounding flora can be shave as necessary during the growing season to keep them in check .
Overgrown , ignore or frost - damaged love flower vines can be given a renovation pruning in the saltation . Cut each fore back to a bud or side shoot approximately 50 centimeter above soil level . novel green shoot will develop quite quickly and these can be thinned and train to work if desired . This hard pruning will rejuvenate the plant but it may thin out the abundance of flowers for the next couple of years .
Passion Flower Propagation
cacoethes flowers can be propagate from seed , softwood cuttings in spring , semi - right cuttings in summertime or by layering . Layering is the dim-witted and most reliable technique , and it creates new plant life with the same machine characteristic as the parent .
For successful deal cuttings , remove a duration of goodish new vine with a clean , crisp knife . cut back the cutting to about 10 atomic number 96 , making the lower snub in new growing just below a folio joint . withdraw all folio and tendrils from the lower half of the cutting and plant into a gage of free - enfeeble compost , such as a 50:50 mixing of potting compost with penetrative sand or perlite , after dipping in internal secretion rooting powder .
Species passion flowers will come true from seeded player , but not the named cultivars . To prepare the seed , give up the fruits to ripen on the plant , harvest them , and keep them for two weeks indoors on a tray in a cool , dry , vent lieu , one by one lightly wind in kitchen paper . Keep them apart and toss of any that show sign of disease or guff . During this fourth dimension , the yield will begin to turn and this will help to preclude the development of fungous diseases that might later affect the young seedlings .
At the oddment of two weeks , pulp the yield in a bowl and fend this in a quick place such as an airing cupboard to ferment for a further three days . Then sieve the mush under cold , running body of water to classify the seed . Once they are clean of all pulp , dry them on clear kitchen newspaper publisher overnight . The next morning , put them into a arena of hot water and will them another 24 hours . This will weaken the seed pelage . The seed should then be sown the following mean solar day , as it does not store well .
fill up a cum tray with John Innes seed compost , or use an adequate admixture of multi - purpose compost and perlite . Firm the compost well , body of water liberally and then carefully place the seeds onto the aerofoil of the compost , about a finger ’s width apart . Cover the seed with a 5 mm deep sprinkling of sieved compost . Cover the tray with a propagator chapeau or a supported clear fictile bagful and keep the compost moist .
For the proficient chance of success , the tray should be keep open at 20 ° C for 16 hours and 30 ° C for 8 hr each day , or as a secondly - good , at a constant temperature of 26 ° C . Germination can be dull and the timing irregular , as the seed contains a germination inhibitor . The first seedlings may appear within a month , and viable plants may continue to come along for up to three month . sting them out into private spate . The seedling can be hardened off and transfer into the garden once they have four or five truthful leave .
Common Passion Flower Problems
Pests
Plants may be attacked by aphids , and when grown under glass the vine are susceptible to greenhouse pestilence such as ruby-red spider mite , whitefly , musical scale dirt ball and mealybug .
Diseases
Passion flowers are slightly prone to plant computer virus , specially the cucumber mosaic computer virus . The computer virus is transmitted by cuke beetle and aphid , and it can also spread now between plants growing in closemouthed proximity or through septic seed . pretend plant have a mosaic mottling and distortion of the folio , and outgrowth may be stunted . Infected works should be destroy and the normal rules of garden hygiene applied .
They can also suffer from bacterial disease such asXanthomonasbacterial post . Again , any affected plant should be destroyed and one of the more resistant varieties chosen to supersede it .
Passion Flower Varieties
Passiflora caerulea
This is the blue passion peak , and perhaps the most unremarkably encountered variety in UK gardens . It is sturdy , though still appreciates a sheltered and warm spot , where it is more potential to keep back its leaf over wintertime . The heyday are up to 8 cm in diam , mostly white but sometimes tinged pink , with striking purplish - blue filament erupting from the centre . The flowers are followed by yellowy - orange , egg - forge fruit in tardy summertime .
genus Passiflora caerulea ‘ Eden ’
‘ Eden ’ is a vigorous climber with large , dramatic flowers with purple ‘ petals ’ that are white towards the center of attention . It is evergreen , and has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit .
genus Passiflora caerulea ‘ Constance Elliot ’
Another Award of Garden Merit succeeder , this pearl - white flowered salmagundi has additional interest due to its fragrant blooming .
Passiflora caerulea ‘ Grandiflora ’
As its name suggest , Grandiflora has unco large white and violet flower that develop up to 15 cm in diameter .
Passiflora ‘ Amethyst ’
‘ Amethyst ’ ( also have a go at it asPassifloraLavender Lady ) has the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is amply intrepid . Its productive reddish blue flowers have contrast green filament , and the ‘ petals ’ reflex and darken as the flowers geezerhood .
Other good purple - flowered varieties includePassiflora ‘ Purple Rain’and the hybridPassiflora x voileacea .
Passiflora mollissima
This species is commonly known as the banana tree passion flower because of its long , golden - yellow yield . These trace on from clustering of atypical hanging pale pinkish tubular flowers . It is a very tight - grow vine and while attractive in a UK garden , it has domesticate and become an invasive weed in some areas of Hawaii and New Zealand . It requires a minimum temperature of around 5 ° snow so is well grown in a greenhouse or hothouse .
Passiflora alata
This species is commonly know as the wing - bow passion flower or fragrant sweet granadilla . It has scented , cryptic red flowers with a banded corona in scarlet , purple and white from June to October . The yield are edible . It grows to 6 m or more . It can be planted out after mid May in a cheery and sheltered garden spot in the affectionate part of the UK , but it will involve careful protection through a cold wintertime .
Passiflora ‘ White Lightning ’
‘ blanched lightning ’ is one of the preferred ashen varieties of passion flower . The ‘ petals ’ are somewhat creamy white and the flower has a green centre with just a intimation of purple on the filament . It is intrepid and will gain 4 m in elevation .
Passifloraquadrangularis
One of many red - blossom kind , the gargantuan purple granadillo or square staunch mania flower bear fragrant thick - red flower with a fundamental mass of cherry - purple , white-hot and pink - band , wavy filaments . It has the RHS Award of Garden Merit . It is a vigorous , jumble tropic vine that needs a lot of quad in a het greenhouse , where it will call for to be kept all class round , as it requires temperature above 15 ° C .
Passifloraantioquiensis
This Colombian coinage , bang as the red banana heat peak , is difficult to get along by but well deserving the search cause . It has downy 3 - lobed leaves and huge , 15 atomic number 96 , red heyday on 50 centimetre pendulous stems . It is too fond for UK garden , but pretend a striking plant life for a big conservatory .
Passiflora manicata
The red mania heyday has bright red , comparatively humble flowers , the very core of which are blue - clean . The flowers are comply by 5cm - long , green yield . It is useable as a number of cultivars , including the pop ‘ reddish ’ . It dislikes temperatures below 7 ° C so is best raised in a pot that can be brought into an unwarmed glasshouse or conservatory over winter .
Passiflora racemosa
Another red - flowered species , this striking , evergreen , 5m - marvelous vine is a native of Brazil that bear drop clusters of showy , scarlet peak that can hang up to 30 cm in length and mature to 12 cm in diameter when fully undetermined . The fruit are oval and immature and around 7 cm long .
FAQs
The passion flower is celebrated for its fruit that is said to have mysterious and aphrodisiac qualities . A skilful , ripe passion fruit has a characteristic redolent flavour that is unlike any other yield . However , these fruit are from the speciesPassiflora edulis , a tender tropic metal money that ask minimal temperature of around 15 ° C .
The dauntless motley grown in UK gardens can produce eggs - regulate , orange fruit in affectionate summer . They can be eaten when to the full ripe , but they do not have the same gustatory modality or qualities as the tropical yield . Under - ripe , chicken fruits can get stomach overturn , and other parts of the vines should not be eat .
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