As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


You are here: Home / Archives for passion flower

The garden is shaping up

by

Well, I finally managed to tidy up my garden and my arms have the scratches all over them to prove it!

Every rose I have has been pruned so now there are no more dead twigs standing up, visible over the new growth and blooms.

The garden looks so much better!

Chris and I went out yesterday afternoon and purchased 5 new roses, two clematis vines, three passion flower vines, a hibiscus, a blue Hydrangea and two fuchsia plants. Oh we got some more annuals as well. I guess that with all those vines, our existing cannas and jasmine plants that our garden will have a tropical feel to it this year.

My back ached each evening after I was done working in the garden but luckily felt better each morning. I thought I was going to get away without having any sore muscles but my legs are a bit stiff today. At least it doesn’t seem like I’ll be as achy as I was a month ago when I over did it in the garden!

Now I just need to get all the new plants planted – perennials and annuals, and get some mulch down too.

Does the work ever end?






Shade loving spring flower

by

Join Green Thumb Sunday
Join

DSC01905

I took this photo about two weeks ago.

Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of this plant. It’s a spring flower that for me, only blooms for approximately one week each year. The name is something like pasiflora … but yeah, I know it’s not a pasiflora as it’s certainly not a passion flower.

Whatever it is, it’s a lovely spring flower who’s blooms open fully in the daylight hours and close as the light dims in the late afternoon. I have mine planted in a fairly shady area, so it does well in shade.

This flower is no longer blooming and it’s foliage will die down sometime in the next few weeks as we come into the warm weather of summer.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Summer Passion

by

Join Green Thumb Sunday
Join
Summers fading quickly here. Is it starting to cool down in your part of the world?

Passion flower

A passion flower to remind us of the hottest days of summer.

This passion flower is Passiflora x belotii, it’s growing in a pot outside in my garden. It’s grown so much that it’s now climbing onto my enclosed back porches screened windows.

Passiflora x belotii is a hybrid of P. alata x P. caerulea. Named P. alato-caerulea by Dr Lindley in 1824, John Vanderplank’s book lists the following alternative names, P. x belotii, P. ‘Empress Eugenie’, P. ‘Imperatrice Eugenie’, P. ‘Kaiserin Eugenia’, P. munroi & P. x pfortii, some of which are still in use. The latest Passiflora Hybrid Lists have collapsed them all into ‘P. x belotii’.

Flower variations however include either a dark or light centre, one or a number of white bands on the coronal filaments & petals crumpled to varying degrees. Clearly there are a number of similar but distinct hybrids, probably all of P. alata x P. caerulea parentage.

Passion flowers are plants that grow as vines. This particular type can grow 20 to 30 feet. Mine is currently in the 20 foot range. They are hardy from USDA zones 7a to 10b. They thrive in sun to partial shade (bright shade, not dark shade).

Parts of the plant are dangerous if ingested, in fact the leaves give off a form of cyanide when crushed.

The blooms are pink to violet/ Lavender and the foliage has a shiny glossy texture. The blooms can be mildly fragrant. My blooms have a slight sweet candy like scent. Water regularly, this plant likes its soil moist but not damp. A well draining soil is needed for this plant.

This plant can be propagated from From softwood cuttings, semi-hardwood cuttings, simple layering, and by air layering. Seeds can be collected from ripened fruit and the plant can then be grown from seed.

I need to bring this plant indoors in the winter time as it is not hardy to my climate. I keep it in a brightly lit room and water it regularly to keep the soil slightly moist. It can be susceptible to spider mites and white fly so if you must also bring your passion flower indoors please try to keep the humidity up inside the house or the room in which the plant is housed. Occasionally misting the leaves and stems will help as well. It’s not uncommon for some of the leaves to drop off when brought indoors in the early fall. The plant will acclimate itself to your homes environment in a short while and will start to look healthy again if you care for it properly.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Meta