Kitchen Garden Forum

Last year I planted a Passion Flower against the fence at the bottom of my garden.

Tidying the flower bed this weekend it seems dead to the ground, with the bark flaking off.

Is this the usual behaviour?
Is it beyond redemption?
What should I do with it?

Peter, have a look at the Polytunnel Shading thread; JB has just posted an article about passionflowers.

That prompted me to ask this, but it is outside.

Peter, if there is enough of a stump left, try scraping the bark away with your fingernail. If it is green underneath it is alive, if it is brown then it is probably dead.

We have one that was on the allotment when we first rented it. We have done nothing to it in the way of care and it has survived for the ten plus years we have had the allotment. At this time of year it does look dead, and the stem is a bit like clematis, in that it has flakey bark, rather than solid bark like a tree. I suspect yours will be fine.

You need Passiflora Edulis, it is the hardiest one with worthwhile fruits to use in this country. If you can get a fruit in the shops it is most likely to be p.edulis so you can grow from that seed.
The common one, caerulea is not a good choice if you want fruit. I have let p.incarnata loose in a polytunnel, it is trying to take over by means of suckers. Pretty flowers but not good fruit.

Hi Allan,
There are several different Passion flowers BUT Caerrula is by far the hardiest. The crown is best covered for about the first three years then you can throw whatever weather you care to and it will survive.
P.edulis is best grown in a tunnel if it is fruit you're after and is certainly not hardy here which is only 25 miles north of you it needs protection.
In the past I have grown Passion Flowers from seed but they are better by far if they are produced from cuttings.

Thanks for all that. We visited Van Der Plank's nursery and museum in Somerset and bought the definitive book all about them so we are not short of facts, just cannot get p.edulis going yet.With our South-facing slope there should be no problem in the tunnels.