Passiflora caerulea
Tropical in appearance, the charismatic Passiflora caerulea is both intriguing and highly decorative. The extraordinary appearance of its flowers, alluring to bees, wasps, bats and hummingbirds in its native South America, creates great impact here. The unforgettable flowers open for three days, emerging from a vine-like plant, bedecked with glossy leaves.
Dimensions
- Pot size: 3L
- Height and Spread: 12m (39ft) x 4m (13ft) after 2-5 years
Features
Tropical in appearance, the charismatic Passiflora caerulea is both intriguing and highly decorative. The extraordinary appearance of its flowers, alluring to bees, wasps, bats and hummingbirds in its native South America, creates great impact here. The unforgettable flowers open for three days, emerging from a vine-like plant, bedecked with glossy leaves.
In its native country the Passion Flower is used for medicinal and culinary purposes. In Christian based countries, people have associated different parts of the unusual structure of the plant with religious symbolism, hence the name; in Eastern and Far Eastern countries it is known, for obvious reasons, as the Clock Plant.
Frum July to September the flowers will appear, each open for a traditional three days.
- Well drained, fertile, moist soil
- South or west facing
- Full sun
Due to the eventual height of this climber, ensure that there is support, either wires across a wall, a trellis or other plants to crawl through; it will hang on with the tendrils on its leaves. Ensure, if it is in a rain shadow near a wall, that it is well watered as it establishes itself. Do not overfeed or the foliage will dominate.
Highly scented flowers