Passiflora x alato-caerulea (Passion Flower)

Among the most widely planted passion vines, Passiflora x alato-caerulea is an evergreen or semi-evergreen climber with delightfully fragrant, star-shaped, pink and white flowers, 4 in. across (10 cm), adorned with a ring of deep purple-blue filaments. This beautiful Passion Flower also features a handsome foliage of deeply lobed, shiny, dark green leaves. It is sterile and does not produce fruit or seeds. Vigorous and easy to flower, this hybrid of Passiflora caerulea and Passiflora alata is the least subject to caterpillar damage. Perfect for the garden or containers.

This passion flower belongs to the Passifloraceae family, famed not just for its edible fruit but also for its intricate passion flower. Among these botanical floral beauties are Passiflora alata, P. incarnata, P. racemosa, P. lutea, P. edulis, and the ravishing P. caerulea.

• Blooms profusely all summer long until early fall.
• Thrives in full sun or part shade, in loose sandy or gravelly, moist, well-drained soils. Good drainage is essential. Go light on fertilizer and water deeply, but infrequently. Passion Flowers should be encouraged to reach deep into the earth for water. This prompts them to develop a powerful root system that will sustain them through droughts and freezes. Do not provide too much manure or compost or this will result in lush vegetative growth and poor flowering. Keep the soil on the dry side in the winter.
• Easy to grow, this twining vine can quickly grow up to 5 ft. (150 cm) in a container and 15-20 ft. long (4-6 m) if planted in the ground. Don’t try to train your Passion Flower to be too neat and compact. The branches allowed to hang loose and droop a bit will be the ones most inclined to flower.
• Excellent choice for trellises, walls, fences or arbors. Perfect in wall-side borders, city gardens, cottage gardens, Mediterranean gardens and containers. This trouble free climber clings with tendrils so won’t damage brickwork or fences!
• Butterflies are extraordinarily fond of Passion Flowers.
• The terminal buds may be pinched out to encourage branching.
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