How to Grow Passionflower Vines

About Growing Passionflower Vines in Your Backyard Garden

To some people, perennial Passionflower vines are a common roadside weed found in ditches and open fields. To others, it is an attractive plant, with fragrant flowers. We hope you are among those who view it as an attractive flower. Use this plant guide to learn “How to Grow Passionflower Vines” Then armed with a few seeds, get growing Passionfflowers!

Passionflower Vines are native to the southeastern U.S. and South America. Depending upon who is counting, this tropical plant has 400-700 species.

Passionflowers were originally called Maypops. In the 1500s missionaries arrived in the U.S. They believed parts of the plant and its flowers symbolized features and stages of the passion of Christ. So, they renamed it the Passionflower.

The Passionflower has beautiful, exotic, large flowers, from 1/2″ to 6 inches in diameter. While the plant produces edible berries, they are very seedy. You can make jelly from the berries.

Passionflower vines attract butterflies.

Show your passion. Grow these attractive plants with their distinct blooms in a location where others can see and marvel at their beauty. Amazingly, it is sometimes suggested that these plants be grown in containers, and even as houseplants! Perhaps the vines can grow down from a balcony!? The height of this plant may make some uses impractical.

Passionflower Vine Plant Specifications

Flower Colors: Multi-colored blue, green, pink, purple, red, and white.

Flowers Bloom: Summer.

Plant Height: The vines grow up to 20′ in a single season.

Light Requirements: Full sunlight to partial sun.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0.

Hardiness Zone: 7 – 10.

Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets.

Deer Resistant? Yes, deer and rabbit sleave this plant alone.

Native To: North America and South America.

Plant Type: Perennial

Botanical Name: Passiflora Caerulea

Other Names: Granadilla, Maypop, Treasure Flower

Are Passionflower Vines Edible?

YES!!

The leaves, flowers, and fruit are edible. And, they contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. They are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals, too.

The fruit is commonly consumed. You can make jelly with it, or use it in desserts.

Medicinal Benefits of Passionflower Vine Plants

The leaves, stems, and vines are often used in herbal medicine. It has a wide variety of applications.

Here are some of them:

The calming effects of passionflower help to reduce anxiety, lowers stress, and it has an overall calming effect.
It helps to lower blood pressure.
Use it as a sleep aid for insomnia.
It is used to treat epilepsy.
Use it for pain relief.
Manage symptoms of menopause.

Light Requirements

For the best plant performance, grow Passionflower vines in bright, direct sunlight. Give the plants 6 to eight hours of direct sun. Also, they will grow in light, partial sunlight. In hotter regions, the plants benefit from shade in the midafternoon.

Perennial Passionflower Vine Plant Propagation

Patience is the rule when starting Passionflower vines from seeds. It can take from 30 days to a year for the seeds to sprout!!! As a result, we do not recommend starting seeds outdoors. Too many things can go wrong outdoors

For indoor starts, sow seed in large pots, and cover with 1/4″ of seed starting soil. Keep the soil moist. We recommend you cover the pot, to help retain soil moisture. But, be vigilant of damping-off disease in the soil.

Growing Tip: Soak seeds overnight in water, before planting.

Also, the plants can also be propagated by rooting cuttings from the softwood of the vine.

Days to Germination: 30 days to 1 year.

How to Grow Passionflower Vine Flower Plants

Once the difficult seed germination process is successfully complete, growing Passionflower plants is pretty easy.

Select a planting location where the plants will receive plenty of bright, direct sunlight. The vines need rich, well-draining soil to fuel their fast growth. Mix compost and manure into the soil, before planting.

For the fastest growth, fertilize monthly with a general-purpose fertilizer.

Deeply water the plants, especially in hot, dry weather. Maintain an even level of soil moisture. But, do not allow the soil to remain soggy for extended periods of time.

Keep the area well-weeded while the plants are still small. Even after the vines are a couple of feet long or more, keep the panting area well-weeded so the plants do not have to compete for nutrients and moisture.

For a nearly maintenance-free garden, add mulch around plants. Also, apply a thick layer of much in the Fall, for winter protection of the roots.

Provide a fence, trellis, or arbor, for the vines to climb. Then, sit back and watch them grow!

How to Grow Passionflower Vines in Containers

In general vining plants are not frequently grown in containers. However, they may look nice growing around the railing of your balcony or deck. And, you can also grow them downward from the balcony or deck.

Like any container-grown plant, they need a little more care and attention. In addition to normal plant care, here’s how to grow Passionflower vines in containers:

Select a sunny to partly sunny location on your deck.
It is important to have a drain hole to allow excess water to drain from the pot.
Keep an eye on the moisture level. Check the plants every day or two, especially in extended periods of hot, dry weather.
Keep the soil moist, but not wet. It is okay to let the top of the soil begin to dry between watering.
When watering the plants, thoroughly wet the soil. Excess water will drain through the hole in the bottom of the flowerpot.
Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a light solution of liquid fertilizer once a month.

How to Prune Perennial Passionflower Vines

This plant requires little or no pruning. As the season progresses, remove any dead or damaged leaves and vines. You can prune the vine to help maintain the shape of the plant, and to contain its growth, as desired.

There’s no deadheading required. You do not have to remove spent blooms. As a matter of fact, leave them on the plant and you will have passion fruit ripening on the vines before the growing season comes to an end.

Insects and Plant Disease

Insect and disease problems are uncommon. Scale, spider mites, and whiteflies are an occasional problem. If you see them, treat the plant with an insecticidal soap. Or, take preventative measures and use insecticidal soap before you see an insect problem.

Plants are deer resistant and rabbit resistant.

Plant Problems – Identify the causes and find the cures.

Overwintering Passionflower Vines

In warm-weather regions:

If there is no frost or freeze in your area, the plants will do fine over the winter months. In the spring, cut the vines back to just a few feet long. The flowers bloom on new wood.

If your area receives light frosts, mulch heavily around the plants to protect the roots.

In cold-weather regions:

Plan on bringing the plants indoors. First, cut the plants back to one or two feet tall. Next, dig them up and plant them in a container. Store them in an unheated garage. Or, move the container indoors. Locate the container in front of a sunny window, if possible. Do not be surprised if the plant goes dormant over the winter months. It will perk back up with the warm rays of the spring sunlight.