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Diggin' Florida Dirt: A passion for passion vines

 
Lady Margaret
Lady Margaret
Published April 13, 2015

Kathi Hobbs remembers like yesterday the first time she laid eyes on a passion flower 32 years ago.

"It was absolutely the most gorgeous, intricate flower I had ever seen. I found a passion vine at Home Depot and immediately planted it at the base of a huge pine tree," she recalls.

It quickly climbed to the top and an elated Kathi, then a novice Lutz gardener, enthusiastically planted cuttings around her arbor.

"It started seeding itself and spreading those tenacious little tendrils through our viburnum hedge and into our wax myrtles. We ripped up the seedlings, hit them with Roundup and are still searching through the hedges for those little suckers!"

Many vines can become garden bullies, if given carte blanche to roam, says Armstrong Nurseries' Mitch Armstrong, a longtime St. Petersburg-based grower who sells at fairs and markets throughout Central Florida. But with passionflower (Passiflora), when you know what you're planting and ride herd on the headstrong varieties, you'll be amply rewarded with beauty and butterflies.

"Plant any vine and forget it and you could have a challenge on your hands," Mitch says. "Vines need to be guided and cut back if they threaten to go into places where you don't want them. These guys need room and they need attention."

The handful of Passiflora varieties he sells (there are more than 500) don't mysteriously appear in unexpected places, he says. "These are the ones that work the best here. We've had great results with them personally and our customers have been very satisfied for years."

The most aggressive of his stock? Red Passiflora vitifolia. It's a go-to for people who want to hide a neighbor or a pool pump. While it attracts butterflies, it's not a larval host plant like so many other passion flowers; butterflies won't lay eggs on it — the attraction for many who love passion flower.

"Butterflies are very specific to plants they host on, and none seem to use the red as a larval plant," says Annie Sprague, Mitch's partner at Armstrong Nurseries. "What makes it better compared to other vines is that it has large foliage, blooms and stems, and provides a very dense coverage. Some people just like it for the color."

Here are four others Mitch and Annie recommend for Tampa Bay gardeners:

Lady Margaret

Burgundy flowers bloom off and on year-round, making it one of the most popular for gardeners who want constant color. It attracts zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies, which will lay eggs. The emerging caterpillars may chew on the leaves, especially if other favorite foods aren't available, but the plant will quickly flush out again. Lady Margaret will thrive in a big container if you give it a trellis or other climbing support. In containers, allow it to dry between generous waterings and fertilize regularly for best blooming.

Alata-caerulea

This hybrid produces striking, fragrant amethyst to blue-colored blooms. It's a host plant for the zebra longwing and Julia butterflies, as well as a nectar source. Alata-caerulea is beloved for its color and the constancy of blooms spring through fall. This passion flower also thrives in containers. (See instructions for Lady Margaret.)

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Quadrangularis (giant grandilla) Elaborate purple, red and blue blooms have layers of multicolored sepals and petals, with a flamboyant headdress of corona filaments that scream Mardi Gras. They're exquisitely aromatic. At up to 5 inches in diameter, the flowers are so heavy that their faces hang downward. This is an aggressive vine that can be kept in check with regular pruning. It's a host for fritillary butterflies and bears a vitamin-rich fruit in warm areas, including St. Petersburg.

ANNIE SPRAGUE | Special to the Times

Purple Possum

With frilly purple and white-flowered blooms, Purple Possum is the most popular for gardeners who want passion fruit, Mitch says. It fruits constantly spring and summer. Prune regularly, especially in summer. Purple Possum is also a host and nectar source for zebra longwing, gulf fritillary and Julia butterflies, and can tolerate shade.

Plant passion flower vine in full sun and slightly sandy, well-draining soil. As with most plants, even drought-tolerant ones like this, water well for a few weeks to establish roots. Remember to choose your vine carefully; not all passionflowers will turn your yard into a Lepidoptera sanctuary or provide the fruit popular for juicing.

And if you've had a bad Passiflora experience, know that recovery is possible.

"Last year, what does my daughter give me for Mother's Day? Yup, two big pots of you guessed it," Kathi Hobbs says. "I cut them way back and have them in an area where they can't grab hold of anything."

Contact Penny Carnathan at pcarnathan49@gmail.com; visit her blog, digginfloridadirt.com; join in the chat on Facebook, Diggin Florida Dirt; and follow @Diggin Penny.