One of the most eye-catching and distinctive perennial flowering plants you can grow in your garden is the passion flower. This post will serve as your in-depth passion flower growing guide. You can read the full guide to learn all about planting and maintaining passion flowers, or you can jump to any section quickly using the advanced jump below.
Jump to:
- What Are Passion Flowers?
- Passion Flower Basics
- Where Do Passion Flowers Grow?
- Why Grow Passion Flowers?
- When Do Passion Flowers Bloom?
- How Long Do Passion Flowers Bloom?
- When to Plant Passion Flowers
- Ideal Growing Conditions for Passion Flowers
- How to Plant Passion Flowers
- How to Propagate Passion Flowers
- How to Care for Passion Flowers
- Recommended Planting Combinations for Passion Flower
- Passion Flower Landscaping Ideas
- Recommended Passion Flower Varieties
- Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Passion Flowers
- Where to Buy Passion Flowers
What Are Passion Flowers?
Passion flower is the common name for plants in the genus Passiflora. It can also sometimes be spelled as one word; “passionflower.” The name “passion vine” refers to the same genus of plants. Some cultures refer to them as “clock plants.”
While the majority of passion flowers do grow on vines, you will find a few that grow as shrubs and even some passion flower trees.
The blooms of the passion flower plant can range in appearance. But typically, they feature purplish hues. They are fairly large and sport distinctive wispy corona filaments above their petals. Sometimes there are more than a hundred of these filaments on a single bloom.
You might be wondering about the name of the plant. It is a reference to the passion of Christ in Christianity. In case you are not familiar with that use of the word, it means “suffering” in this context, derived from the word passio in Latin.
In fact, there was an elaborate system of symbolism developed by Spanish missionaries surrounding passion flowers. Different parts of the plant are associated with the crown of thorns, the nails used on the cross, the whips of Christ’s torturers, the Spear of Destiny, and so forth.
Some other names that are occasionally used to refer to passion flower include Christ’s bouquet, Christ’s crown, and Mother of God’s star. Pretty fascinating, right?
You certainly will not feel any suffering when you are beholding the magnificence of these lovely blooms in your own flower garden. The passion you feel about them will be the other kind—the positive kind.
Passion Flower Basics
| Zones: | 5-11 (depending on the variety) |
| Blooming season: | Spring through fall |
| Expected height: | Up to 30 feet |
| Soil: | Sandy, rich, well-draining soil |
| Sun: | Full to partial |
Where Do Passion Flowers Grow?
Passion flowers are native to Central America, Mexico, the United States, and some areas of Oceania and Southeast Asia. There are also passion flowers that are naturalized in Spain. So, there is a pretty wide range for these plants.
As passion flowers are perennials in zones 5-11, they can be cultivated in quite a few regions around the globe.
Why Grow Passion Flowers?
Here are some reasons to plant passion flower in your perennial garden:
• Pollinators: Passion flowers are great for attracting pollinators to your garden, including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
• Beautiful blooms: Each large and distinctive bloom of your passion flower plant will delight you with its corona of filaments. This is one of those plants that is hard to mistake for any other.
• Good choice for fragrance: The fragrance of passion flower is hard to describe. We have heard people refer to it as tropical, perhaps smelling a bit like coconut or vanilla, sweet and slightly spicy. It is considered to be a sensual, heady fragrance.
• Many climate zones: Even with its tropical vibes, passion flower plants can be grown in a wide range of climate zones, including cooler zones. It is a great way to give a garden in one of those zones a more tropical look and scent without the hassle of having to overwinter everything indoors (though you still have that option with passion flower).
• Tall and dramatic: Even adding a single passion flower plant to your garden can instantly give it a completely different appearance. Okay, maybe not instantly—but it will feel pretty close. Passion flowers are fast-growing plants, and they can get to be very tall.
• Landscaping options: There are countless ways you can use passion flower vines in your landscape. Look up some inspiration online, and see what you can come up with. If you unleash your creativity, you can achieve some dazzling effects.
• Interesting lore: As you already learned while reading the introductory section of this post, there is a ton of cool lore around passion flowers. We didn’t go into it in full detail, but there is quite a lot to discover. Try looking up the specific symbolism for every part of the plant. For many people, passion flowers are a very spiritual choice for their gardens.
• Delicious fruits: The ripe fruits of passion flower plants are edible and come in a range of flavors. That said, the unripe fruits are not safe to consume, nor are other parts of the plant.
• (Sort of) deer-resistant: Even though deer sometimes eat passion flower, a lot of them know to avoid it so that they do not get poisoned.
• Variety: There are many beautiful cultivars of passion flower to discover with different blooms, fragrances, and fruits.
That covers some of the benefits of passion flowers, but you can probably think of more once you have these beauties growing in your own garden.
When Do Passion Flowers Bloom?
There is a long bloom period for passion flowers beginning in spring and continuing through late autumn.
How Long Do Passion Flowers Bloom?
The individual blooms of passion flower plants do not last more than a few days (some last just one day). But the good news is that new blooms will replace them throughout the bloom season each year.
When to Plant Passion Flowers
You can plant passion flowers in spring or autumn.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Passion Flowers
Let’s go over the sun, soil, and water requirements to keep this perennial vine growing happily in your garden.
How Much Sun Do Passion Flowers Need?
Your passion flowers should get around six hours of sunlight per day. They will be appreciative of full sun in many climates. But if you have a particularly hot climate, you might want to plant them in partial shade. Some afternoon shade will help to prevent them from overheating.
What about deep shade? While we occasionally see passion flowers mentioned in lists of shade-tolerant plants, we see very few gardeners suggesting that they be planted in full shade. We think you should avoid this idea. Stick with full sun or partial sun.
What Type of Soil is Right for Passion Flowers?
Fertile, well-drained soil is what passion flowers love. It is better for it to be on the loose, sandy side, but heavy soils can be okay as well.
If you do have heavy soil, it needs to drain in order for passion flowers to be able to thrive. That means that you may need to mix in some compost, which is also a great way to enhance its richness.
What are the ideal conditions with respect to pH? Most resources say that the soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. We do see very mildly alkaline pHs listed within the acceptable range as well.
How Much Water Do Passion Flowers Need?
Depending on your climate and how quickly the soil is drying out, you should water these plants once or twice weekly to ensure they are healthy and produce large blooms.
An inch of water is often enough. But sometimes, you might need to add an extra half inch for adequate water on really hot, dry days.
Remember, after you plant or transplant passion flowers, they need extra water to help them establish.
Also, if you grow passion flowers as container plants, they need more water than those you plant in your flower beds. Even deep containers can dry out rapidly.
How to Plant Passion Flowers
Below are directions for how to plant passion flowers in your garden beds or in containers.
If you want these showy flowers to grow up a trellis, remember to push the trellis down into the soil before you add the plant. That way, you will not risk damaging the roots.
Ground Planting
Here is how you can plant passion flowers in your flower beds:
1. After you choose a place to plant your passion flowers, consider amending the soil with compost. Doing this is most important if there are any drainage problems and/or if the soil is poor. Remember, passion flowers are hungry for nutrition.
2. Dig holes for the passion flowers. They can get to be pretty large when they grow, so space apart the holes around 5’. And do not forget that they need a lot of room to grow upward as well.
3. Remove the passion flowers from their nursery containers and then transplant them into the holes.
4. Backfill the soil. Water well.
Container Planting
1. Get a good-sized container. It must have holes in it to facilitate appropriate drainage.
2. Begin filling the container with potting soil.
3. Take the plant out of the nursery container in which it arrived, and transfer it into the pot where it will live.
4. Fill the rest of the soil in, then water well.
5. Pick a location for the passion flower to grow. You can keep the container outside year-round if the weather allows it.
How to Propagate Passion Flowers
It is easy to propagate passion flower plants. In fact, you have several methods you can choose from: propagating by seed, from cuttings, or from divisions. In the sections below, we instruct you on how to do each.
Starting Passion Flowers from Seed
To get started, let’s explain what you need to do to grow passion flower plants from seeds.
1. Harvest some seeds or buy them. If you want to harvest them from passion flower plants you already have growing, you need to wait for the fruit to be ripe and then take out the seeds.
2. Before you start trying to germinate your seeds, you will need to scarify them. This entails using some sandpaper to grate at the surface of each seed. But do not overdo it—be careful.
3. Following scarification of your seeds, place them in a bowl of warm water to soak for 1-2 days.
4. If any seeds are floating at the top of your water, those ones are not going to germinate. You can throw them away.
5. Get containers with drainage holes and fill them with potting mix. Use a spray bottle to moisten the potting mix, allowing any excess water to drain through.
6. Sow the seeds on top of the potting mix.
7. Cover the container with something to lock in the moisture, like a plastic lid or plastic wrap.
8. Find a spot for the seeds to germinate. Use a heating mat if you can.
9. Continue to moisten the soil when it needs it during the germination process. The seedlings should sprout in about 10-20 days.
10. After the sprouts show up, take off the lid so that they have enough room to grow. Put the seedlings under the grow lights. Continue to keep the potting mix moist.
11. When the first true leaves appear, the seedlings will be able to handle direct sunlight.
12. After conditions outdoors are amenable to transplanting, harden the seedlings. Take them outdoors for a short time, then bring them back inside. Take them out for longer, then bring them back in. Then take them out for even longer, and so on, until they finish adjusting.
13. Transplant the seedlings.
Starting Passion Flowers from Cuttings
1. In early spring, you can take your cuttings. They do not need to be very long; they should measure around 6cm and consist of fresh growth. Make the cut under a node.
2. Take off the bottom leaves, leaving the top ones alone. If there are tendrils on the lower part of the plant, you should remove these as well.
3. Fill a container featuring drainage holes with cutting compost.
4. Make holes in the cutting compost that you can push the cuttings into.
5. Use a spray bottle to moisten the compost.
6. Put the container on a heating mat and maintain a temperature of about 68 degrees Fahrenheit (if it is already warmer than that in your home, you do not need to do this; you do not want to overheat the cuttings).
7. Wait for the cuttings to root, adding water as needed.
8. Transplant the young plants when they are ready.
How to Divide Passion Flowers
It does not seem nearly as common to divide passion flowers as it does to grow them from seeds or cuttings, but we have found a few indications that some gardeners do it. In fact, the USDA briefly mentions it while discussing propagation by cuttings. Here is what the USDA says:
“Cuttings should be taken in the early spring. Remove the lower leaves from a 15 to 20-cm cutting before placing it in the rooting medium. Removing the suckers that develop around the established plants provides materials for propagating by division. With a shovel, separate and remove the suckers and root. Transplant the divisions and water them immediately.”
How to Care for Passion Flowers
To grow healthy passion flowers, you need to maintain them. While this is quite easy to do, it is important to know what they need from you with respect to fertilizing, mulching, and more.
How to Fertilize Passion Flowers
We have seen different formulas of fertilizer recommended for passion flowers: 10-5-20 and 15-15-30 are a couple of common suggestions. As these are quite different from one another, it appears that mileage may vary significantly with the best choice. It may depend on the cultivar or growing conditions.
You will need to fertilize passion flowers regularly throughout the growing season: give them an application every 4-6 weeks.
How to Mulch Passion Flowers
Even though many passion flower plants are hardy in cooler climate zones, this is a plant that can benefit from some extra insulation during winter.
You can use leaf mulch or wood mulch for this purpose. A good depth is about 2-3 inches. Do not put the mulch right up against the base of the plant. Leave it some room to breathe.
How to Stake Passion Flowers
Because passion flowers are generally vines, they need something that they can attach to in order to grow. This can be a trellis, a brick wall, a post, etc.
You can use wires to attach passion flowers to trellises or fences. They adhere to some surfaces like brick quite well on their own.
When you plant your passion flower vine, you can start by attaching the existing tendrils where you want them.
As the plant grows, it will continue to produce new tendrils. These may latch onto surfaces on their own. If they are where you want them, great—just leave them be.
If some of the tendrils are not latching onto anything, then you can gently adjust them and then tie them to your structure.
In cases where there are tendrils grabbing things you do not want, you just need to carefully remove them from those things and attach them to what you want.
That is pretty much all there is to it. You just continue in this same fashion as your vine keeps growing, and it should come out looking just the way you picture it.
How to Prune Passion Flowers
Deadheading is generally not needed for passion flowers (see below), but trimming these vines can be helpful to get the appearance you want.
How to Deadhead Passion Flowers
You will be happy to learn that you do not have to deadhead passion flowers. After the blooms wilt, the plant sheds them rapidly on its own, allowing new blooms to grow in. So, all you have to do is sit back and admire your flowers all growing season.
When to Cut Back Passion Flowers
Thompson & Morgan writes, “Give your plants a light prune at the end of the summer once they’ve finished flowering or, if they require some renovation, a harder prune during early spring is the way to go. Flowers form on new growth, so it’s the old growth you need to focus on removing.”
The site offers some additional useful tips for effective pruning of passion flowers.
Are Passion Flowers Vulnerable to Diseases or Pests?
Passion flowers may sometimes come down with certain diseases. Some of the more common among these include leaf spot and root rot.
As for pests, look out for spider mites, scale insects, and whiteflies. Issues with pests and diseases alike are most common when plants do not get sufficient air circulation and/or the soil lacks drainage.
Slugs and snails have been known to feast on passion flowers, so those might also become a nuisance.
Deer and rabbits may try to eat passion flower, but due to toxicity issues (see the FAQ), they do often avoid it. If you have a pet rabbit, do not feed your rabbit passion flower.
Recommended Planting Combinations for Passion Flower
What can you plant next to your passion flowers? Here are a few recommendations for passion flower companions:
• Butterfly bush: Passion flower being a favorite of butterflies, it makes sense to plant butterfly bush as one of its companions. Find out how to grow butterfly bushes in our Buttery Bush Full Growing Guide.
• Moonflower: This plant can hold its own better than some others around passion flower (more on that shortly), and it has a beautiful fragrance.
• Milkweed: This is the plant that is famous for its role in the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly, a species that is now endangered. Despite its rather unattractive name, milkweed produces beautiful flowers and will look great near passion flower.
One thing that is very important to know about passion flower is that it can be pretty aggressive. Make sure that there is a bit of space between it and other plants nearby. If you do not, it will strangle them. You should never have it share a container with another plant. The other plant will probably not survive.
Passion Flower Landscaping Ideas
There are many appealing ways you can use passion flowers in your landscaping:
• Up a wall: Because passion flower plants appreciate sheltered conditions, growing them up a wall on a trellis can be very effective and produce dramatic results that transform the façade of your home. If you have a brick wall, you probably will not even need a trellis; this plant is great at gripping onto brick. It will not harm the wall of the building either.
• On a fence: A fence can also be easy for a passion flower vine to latch onto. You can increase your privacy by growing passion flower over a fence, and beautify your fence to transform your landscape.
• Garden arch: The next thing you can try with passion flower vines is twining them around garden arches. They will draw the eye from anywhere in your garden as part of a dramatic display.
• Container garden: It might surprise you, but you can grow passion flower in containers on your deck or patio. You could even wind them up around a post.
• Cottage garden: Passion flowers are among the perennials that can help you to cultivate the abundant look of a cottage garden.
Recommended Passion Flower Varieties
Now it is time to discover some of the most exquisite cultivars of passion flower plants. Here are some of our top suggested varieties:
• Snow Queen: If you desire a type of passion flower that features white flowers, then try planting the elegant “Snow Queen” cultivar.
• Winged-Stem: The fragrant flowers of this cultivar are especially colorful with striped purple and white filaments, red petals, and yellow and brown centers. If you want tasty edible passion fruit, it is one of your best options.
• Silly Cow: One lovely choice for blue passion flowers is the cultivar with the amusing name “Silly Cow.” The petals are pale, while the filaments appear as either dark bluish or purplish, depending on the lighting.
• Elizabeth: For a purple passion flower, try planting the cultivar “Elizabeth.” The blooms measure around 4”, and feature magenta coronas and purple petals. The fruits also are said to be tasty.
• Gritensis: Your local garden centers probably will not carry this beauty, but it is an amazing choice to bring striking magenta color to your garden.
• Incense: Any garden border will benefit from the stunning purple blooms of “Incense” passion flowers, which won the 1976 Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Not only will they stand out because of the vivid hue of their petals, but you will also love the distinctive wavy shape of the filaments. Other benefits of this cultivar include delicious fruit and cold hardiness, making it an excellent all-around addition to your garden.
• Lady Margaret: Here is a splendid cultivar of passion flower that stands out with its deep scarlet petals.
• Passionfruit: The type of passion flower plant that is referred to as “passionfruit” is the species P. edulis. The fruits, of course, are one of its main appeals, but the ornamental blooms are also gorgeous.
• Red Banana: This type of passion fruit produces 6” blooms with red petals. The filaments of these exotic plants are smaller than they are on a lot of other passion flower blooms, giving them a different look. The name of this variety refers to the red hue of the flowers and the banana shape of the fruits. Another name for it is the “vanilla passionfruit.”
You may only find a few types of passion flowers if you are shopping locally. Go beyond your garden center, and try searching online. We especially recommend doing this if you are in the market for hardy passion flowers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Passion Flowers
To finish up this post, let’s answer some commonly asked questions about passion flower plants.
Insects, slugs, and snails sometimes eat passion flowers. Mammals may occasionally nibble on them, but they frequently avoid them due to their toxic nature.
Yes. If you have a type of passion flower that is not hardy in your climate zone, then you have the option of overwintering passion flower indoors. This is easiest if it lives in a container. Just trim it back so it is about 1-2’, and then bring it inside. Do not worry if it does not look all that happy—it will enter a stage of quasi-dormancy until the following growing season. You can then take it back outside, and it will start looking more like itself.
This might sound weird, but if you have turkeys in your area and something is eating your young passion flower tendrils, they could be the culprits. Most people probably do not have to worry about this, but a few might!
That depends on where you live. In some areas, some types of passion flower may be invasive. In others, they are not. Check whether this is the case for your local area before you plant this perennial.
Although passion flower plants produce edible fruit, you need to wait for the fruit to be ripe to eat it safely. Before that, there are toxic compounds in the fruit called cyanogenic glycosides. These same compounds are present in the leaves.
This post explains something fascinating about these chemicals: “To be exact, the leaves contain cyanide in an inactive form – bound to sugars as chemicals known as cyanogenic glycosides. When tied up like this, the cyanide is harmless. But the cyanide doesn’t always remain inactive – right nearby, the leaves also contain other specialized chemicals that break these sugars down. Known as enzymes, they fit together with the cyanogenic glycosides like a lock and key. When they combine, the sugars are broken down, and the poisonous cyanide is released.”
The post continues, “Normally the sugars and enzymes are stored in separate compartments within the leaves’ cells. But when a hungry herbivore starts to munch on the leaves, these boundaries are broken down, and the sugars and enzymes mingle together in the unlucky animal’s mouth.”
We have not found any references to whether the blooms of the passion flower are toxic; to be on the safe side, we recommend not trying to eat them.
What if one of your pets ingests passion flower? Well, if they eat the leaves, the unripe fruit, or the seeds of the plant, they may experience a toxic reaction. In some cases, this could be serious. Remember, we are talking about cyanide here. So, do not hesitate to take your pet to the vet if necessary.
Well, can you feed your pet the ripe fruit of the passion flower plant? It is better not to, just to be on the safe side. MasterClass says, “Dogs cannot eat passion fruit. Fragrant, tart, and sweet, passion fruit is a tropical fruit produced by the passion fruit vine. While the flesh of passion is not toxic, the fruit is full of sugar, and the seeds and rind or skin contain cyanide which can cause stomach upset and serious health issues. Though the fruit contains nutrients that can boost your dog’s immune system and lower blood pressure, the risks outweigh the health benefits.”
So, do not feed passion fruit to your dog or cat at all.
You can find passion flower supplements for sale. Some people use these supplements to try and treat sleep disorders, anxiety, heart issues, menopause symptoms, pain, ADHD, hemorrhoids, and burn wounds.
In fact, there is a long history of use for passion flower for sleep disorders, going back to indigenous tribal use in North, Central, and South America.
There is not a ton of evidence backing passion flower from a research standpoint. But NIH says, “A small amount of research suggests that passionflower might help to reduce nonspecific anxiety and anxiety before a surgical or dental procedure, but conclusions are not definite.”
If you want to try taking passion flower as a supplement, you should buy it in supplement form. That way, you will get a higher concentration than you would if you just tried to use the vine in your backyard. Plus, you will avoid accidentally ingesting cyanide.
No, passion flowers are not at all hard to grow. In fact, you barely need to do any work to maintain them.
Yes, passion flower plants do produce fruit, which is edible, and referred to as “passion fruit.” The appearance and taste of passion fruit can vary. You will find that some passion fruits taste sweet, but others taste sour. So, there is something out there for every palate.
That said, there are some types of passion flower fruits that probably would not appeal to any palette. Regarding Passiflora incarnata, the University of Florida explains, “Passion flower's ovoid (egg-shaped), green fruits are edible, but not very tasty. The fruits you may know as ‘passion fruit’ come from another species. Retailers sell the pulp of passion flower's South American cousin (Passiflora edulis) as ‘passion fruit juice.’ Unfortunately, P. edulis is predicted to become invasive.”
If you are planning on growing passion flower vines in part to harvest and eat their fruits, make sure you research the varieties you are thinking about. Check how their fruits will taste. That way, you will be planting a type that will produce fruits you will find satisfying.
Passion flowers are perennials. The majority are hardy in zones 6-10, but you can find types of passion flowers that you can grow in zone 5 or zone 11. They will bloom each year.
Where to Buy Passion Flowers
The dramatic blooms of passion flowers, with their numerous filaments, can add spectacular beauty to your garden. If you are ready to shop for passion flowers, check online for the biggest selection of cultivars.
Leave a Reply