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tracyjo_gw

passion vine worth the work??

tracyjo
18 years ago

I am enchanted by the flowers on the passion vine - so exotic - but i hear they get huge ugly caterpillars like crazy. i think i can handle the untangling of the vines part, but will the caterpillars creep me out? most small bugs i don't mind squishing between my fingers, but grubs gross me out even when i squish them with a shovel. yech. was/is your passion vine (passiflora alatocaerulea/pfordtii), fruitless, most widely sold and least susceptible to 'pillars per sunset).
i'm 4 blocks from the ocean & was only planning it to have sun after (say) 2p.m. - west facing alcove.
thanks heaps everybody!

tjk

Comments (50)

  • davissue_zone9
    18 years ago

    Mine never got grubs, but it suckered all OVER the place. It took years of roundup to get rid of it. So think long and hard about it before you put it in the ground. Sue

  • bkarry
    18 years ago

    When my in-laws lived on our place they planted a Passion Vine. They have been gone about 8 years now, but the vine is still here. I have cut, hacked, yanked and now am going to try Round-up. Can't get rid of the stuff. Just when I think I've got it taken care of, it pops up somewhere else.

  • aquilachrysaetos
    18 years ago

    Oooh, sounds vigourous. I think I want this one! I love the flowers. I tried Passiflora edulis once and it died. I think I will try the fruitless next.

  • BecR
    18 years ago

    My neighbor planted a passion vine on the fenceline of our adjoining properties a couple years ago---her plant died over this past winter. Guess what I have growing on my side?! Yup, and it is about 10 ft now (this year alone), so I think it really likes it here on my side. I pulled at least 2-3 other suckers from this plant, before I realized she had lost hers. Mine has not bloomed yet, but she says it should be purple (hers hadn't bloomed either). If I get any more suckers, I will pot them up for her, so that she can try again in a more protected spot. I have only once seen a purple passion vine in bloom (more coastal locale than here)---what a gorgeous flower (and scent!). To me, it will be worth it if I can get this one to bloom, to put up with suckers here and there. I just adore this vine! Just my 2 cents.

    Becky

  • srduggins
    18 years ago

    I love 'em. Some are noxious weeds. Others are better behaved. The common ones seem the most weedy. i have two side by side. P 'Incense' is a weed that the caterpillars love. The first year it couldn't grow fast enough, before it got eaten. It didn't have any problem keeping up after that year. Next to it is P. vitifolia. This one is better behaved, slower growing, nicer flowers.... It also has nectaries that attract ants that clean the caterpillars off, so I rarely see any caterpillar damage on this one.

  • vicki_ca
    18 years ago

    Does anyone here have experience with Passiflora 'Alata'? I picked up a package of seeds on a recent trip. The seeds are from Plants of Distinction. http://www.englishgardenemporium.com/perennials3.html

    The seed package said this is a tender perennial for zones 7-11. However, various web searches indicate it is less hardy. Thompson and Morgan Seed Co. says it is only hardy to 45F. Another source says it tolerates the low 30's for brief periods. So which is correct? These sources canÂt all be right.

    ItÂs native to all parts of the Amazon, as well as Amazon, as well as in the gallery forests of the Brazilian cerrados.

  • tracm
    18 years ago

    I bought that same seeds and I could not get one to germinate. I finely gave up after four months. Refrigerate/don't refrigerate, soak in passion juice/soak in orange juice/don't soak...the list goes on. I finally just went to plant Plant Depot and bought 3 of them. They are doing great and I've only had them since Mother's Day!

  • californian
    18 years ago

    The most vigorous growing plant on my property here in Orange County is a passion fruit vine that is spreading 30 feet in three different directions and is so healthy looking. The fruit is kind of a pain to eat but I may try juicing them like you would an orange. My neighbor has made an attempt to kill it where it was growing on our joint fence but it came back with a vengence and it looks like he gave up. The vine is covered with white and purple flowers so I should have a lot of fruit soon. It is even starting to grow over the roof of my kids playhouse which looks really picturesque. I have never sprayed it and it doesn't seem to be bothered by bugs, or if it is it is so vigorous they aren't having any effect.

  • srduggins
    18 years ago

    I don't do any bug patrol on mine either. I love the butterflies and the vine can grow faster then many of them can eat.

  • godsdog
    18 years ago

    thanks for the comments. About the suckering, I just planted a scarlet passion vine. It's job is to cover an 8 foot metal gazebo, with some training and pruning. I planted a one gallon size into a five gallon plastic pot with the bottom cut out leaving about an 8 inch deep barrier to lateral root spread. Will this stop or reduce the suckers?

  • napapen
    18 years ago

    I have mine in a tub with a trellis. I didn't want it to get loose in the ground. I keep it only for Gulf Frittiary catapillers. For some reason I find the flowers very ugly and take them off.

    Penny

  • donna_loomis
    18 years ago

    Until my brother pulled it up this year (thought it was the trumpet vine I wanted gone) I never saw a grub/worm/caterpillar of any type on it in more than 15 years.

  • SusanC
    18 years ago

    4 years ago, we planted a 'Lavender Lady' in a half whiskey barrel. It quickly covered a stretch of lattice that is about 8 feet tall by 15 feet wide, but there's been no problem with suckering since it's in the barrel. I really love this variety because it is vigorous, beautiful, long-blooming and I haven't noticed any caterpillar damage.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:539629}}

  • faerygardener z7 CA
    18 years ago

    Searching for something else and found this thread, poppng it back to the top as no one pointed out those "huge ugly caterpillars" become BEAUTIFUL butterflies. Passiflora is a host to the gulf fritillary butterfly (Penny did mention the gulf fritillary cats). I've had noticably more of these butterflies now that I've had the passiflora a few years. When I look at the plants, I see the plants, don't notice the caterpillars or leaf damage.

    As others mentioned, they do spread. I've been growing my newer varieties in pots. Do have one big honkin specimen in the ground.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Butterflies of Northern Ca - Giuf Fritillary

  • sumcool
    18 years ago

    All this discussion about passiflora has gotten me interested. What do you guys think of planting a passion vine around and above a chicken coop and yard? There's no water to the area, so I'd have to do it by hand. Also, the area is in part shade from euc trees.
    TIA
    Sumcool

  • jcin_los_angeles
    18 years ago

    It's interesting that the only caterpillar to eat passionflower leaves is the gulf fritillary, and it's the only food that they will eat! It's a fairly small, orange and black caterpillar, not scary at all.

    What's scary is all the roundup people are using! Just pull out the volunteer vines, no need to nuke the planet.

  • faerygardener z7 CA
    18 years ago

    sumcool - I'd say try it - they need some sun, but overall they're pretty resilient plants.

  • bhand
    18 years ago

    My passion flower vine was COVERED with gulf frit caterpillars last summer. They ate EVERY SINGLE LEAF off of that vine-- a huge vine that covered a 20x4 trellis. While I like to see the butterflies, I would prefer having the vine. A bluejay came in a had a nice meal one day - I wish he had spread the news. Any ideas on how to control the cat population WITHOUT poison?

  • faerygardener z7 CA
    18 years ago

    bhand - if you post that question in the butterfly forum you'll probably have local folks offer to come collect them for you to relocate to their gardens. Quite a bit of dedicated butterfly folks there. Must be the difference in climate and population - I don't know anyone in California that has had anything like that happen. If you don't post in the butterfly forum - try putting out bird feeders, then move them close to your passion vine. A larger bird population will stick around if fed and will cut back all bugs.

  • bjk1210
    16 years ago

    I have a passion fruit vine covered with caterpillars when I heard about coffee girnds. I put them on and around the vine and hae not had another caterpiller since.

  • baci
    16 years ago

    I have a couple varieties that used to be in the ground. I dug up roots which were about 3 ft; & have not had a problem with invasiveness. I guess I caught them early. I now have them in 25 gallon containers sitting on top of cinder blocks so the roots can not grow into the ground. They fruited last year in containers. I now believe container growing is the only I personally would grow these plants in Southern CA.
    I have noticed certain plants are more subject to being eaten by butterflies than others. There is a red flowering specimen growing at Quail garden that is supposedly resistant to being eaten by butterflies. I do not know the cultivar name, however.

  • slave2thefur
    16 years ago

    I planted PASSIFLORA QUADRANGULARIS for its huge flowers. It has large, thick, and unlobed leaves, and I've never seen a gulf frit or its cat on the vine. In back, I planted a blue passiflora as a larva plant for the clouds of beautiful gulf frit butterflies that visit it almost year round. The suckers are easy to pull, and the larva not only keep the plant under control, but go to local schools for the kids to hand raise. =^,,^=

    Here is a link that might be useful: huge flowers

  • jakkom
    16 years ago

    Wow, that Passiflora quadrangularis is fabulous!

    Boy, I can only wish that Gulf fritillary caterpillars would denude my vines - I have to prune them back twice a year (which BTW reduces the butterflies, darn it) to keep them in check!

    I have the common purple passiflora, small inedible fruit, and it does throw a few seedlings out but since it's mostly surrounded by concrete - one of the advantages of urban gardening! - it's easy to rip them out.
    {{gwi:539632}}

    I prefer the coral passiflora and so do the butterflies. Last year I didn't prune it back and had butterflies in January! This year I whacked it down severely, we had an unusual 2 week cold spell, so it was March before I saw a butterfly again:
    {{gwi:539634}}

  • Iamhe999_yahoo_com
    16 years ago

    Good Point.. those caterpilars are Butterflies in the making..

    do you like having butterfies flying around in your garden, pasion vine, milkweed, lantana, check it out.. butterflies are flying flowers!
    flowers are tethered butterflies..

    Here is a link that might be useful: Butterflies are Flowers too

  • nikkers
    16 years ago

    I'm in FL. I have a red passion vine that covers a 5' tall wire fence that is 60' long. It has never suckered, it doesn't set seed (only 1 fruit in 5 years, sometimes gets cats, but not enough to do any damage. It blooms year around and during the summer needs to be pruned at least 2x a month. I love it.
    Jo

  • slave2thefur
    16 years ago

    Passiflora quadrangularis does not attract butterflies, most likely due to the thickness of the leaves. Various caerulea do, and grace my garden almost all year.

  • redmist
    16 years ago

    I have 2 passion vines growing on one arched trellis.. I have had them for about 3 years and I love them but I noticed from my trimmings there are a lot of dead stalks etc under the beautiful green. I was contemplating trimming the entire vine down to about a foot from the ground then cleaning all the old stuff off the trellis... What time of year do you think this should be done?

  • slave2thefur
    16 years ago

    Just in case, root some cuttings before you whack it back.

  • gardenfreak
    16 years ago

    Hello to everyone:
    I have been looking for a few cuttings of passion vine that produces edible fruit. I will plant them in containers that I will bring inside when the weather gets too cold.(I live in PA) So if anyone has some to share I appreciate it.
    I will pay for the postage.
    I am also looking for cuttings of other tropical fruits for my winter project. I am setting up a "greenhouse" in my basement to get me thru the boring days of winter, till I can go back outside and enjoy the garden.
    Thanks a million and HAPPY NEW GARDENING YEAR

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    No. It is not worth the work. I cannot imagine an uglier flower.

  • eberitiech
    15 years ago

    I brought a passion from my Mother's in Houston to transplant in Southern Alabama. It did great the first year on our fence. This year, I had 56 plants pop up in May. Suppose that's why they are also called "May-Pops" .. We have very carefully transplanted each one. My fences on both sides of our 3 acres are covered in the vines with the deep purple flowers ..They are beautiful and the smell is heavenly. Evasive ? I surely do hope so ! The caterpillars are a pain and by every butterfly lover in America I'd be called selfish because I refuse to share the plants with them. I squish the ugly little critters every time I see one. They are worth every bit of the work !

  • strnbrat
    15 years ago

    i have a passion vine, purple in color. If something touches the flower it closes and will not reopen. Is this common?

  • hosenemesis
    15 years ago

    We planted a passion vine specifically for the butterflies.
    I thought I had it licked: I would plant in a place where the suckers would not be a problem. HA! The mockingbird eats the fruit and wherever he goes, up comes another passion vine. I also have to cut mine to the ground every few years.
    The flowers don't show well on passiflora caerulea, the variety the butterflies and caterpillars like. The fruit is yucky and the chickens won't even eat it. The vine looks beat by the end of the season and it is a ton of work controlling it.

    Is it worth it?

    It is magical to walk under the arbor in the spring: hundreds of Gulf Fritillaries and huge carpenter bees buzz about. Butterfly magic. It's worth it.

    By the way, the California Towhee will eat as many cats as it can find.

  • eloise_ca
    15 years ago

    Hopflower, You think the passionflowers aren't beautiful? There are so many different and beautiful ones. I have and love my p. Incense even if it pops up all over the place! This picture doesn't do it justice, and I wish you could smell the wonderful scent this passiflora has.

    {{gwi:539631}}

  • directinchik2003_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    I bought 2 passion vines from a small nursery and the owner told me that the flowers would be as exotic as I was (flirty, i know but he's a great businessman).... turns out it was true! The flowers are green!! It's absolutely gorgeous, the only problem I saw is that the roots are slightly dry and the leaves are 'droopy'... is it too much water?

    BTW, I bought the vines for mother's day, I made her a butterfly garden and placed in front some milkweeds and small firebush shrubs... my mom's happy ^_^

  • hosenemesis
    13 years ago

    I don't think it would be too much water if the roots are dry.

    You're a good daughter. :)
    Renee

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    13 years ago

    It is too cold in the winter here for passion vine, but I grew it when I lived by the coast. I planted it to grow on my my north fence which was ugly and I was pleased how fast it covered the fence. I was shocked one day to notice that it went over the fence into my neighbors yard and had completely covered her spa/hot tub. I rang her bell apologized and said if I am allowed in her yard I will remove it. "No no she said, I love it". The next year we had a cold winter which killed it to the ground and I never grew it again. Al

  • JoGrow Smith
    7 years ago

    I grow flowering perennials for butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects. Some passionflowers sucker all over the place but are not hard to pull out if you do not want it. If you do not like this you can plant in a pot with a saucer on the bottom so that it will not escape. These types of passionflower are from the 'Maypop' family. They may pop up here or they may pop up there in your garden. There are also some varieties that stay where they are put. Most vines are good for the Butterflies, In Florida we get the Gulf Flitillery if growing in the sun. They attract the Zebra long wing if in the shade. I have noticed that the maypop family are all their favorites. Some of the larger passionflowers like the large scarlet variety are actually toxic to butterflies. They might lay eggs on them but the butterfly caterpillar will eventually die.

  • JoGrow Smith
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It is quite interesting that people buy flowers to attract the butterflies and then when they have a host plant kill the caterpillars. It is all a matter of learning. Neighbors should get together and the ones that do not mind will grow the host plants as well as nectar plants and the others grow lots of butterfly attracting nectar plants. ;)

  • PRO
    Caroline Gerardo Home Mortgage
    7 years ago

    I grew Coral Seas at previous home and wish I could find cultivar or seeds. Monarch butterflies ate the leaves and nested in the vines. Then when they changed a thousand monarch butterflies would enjoy the remains. Anyone who has this I would trade seeds for many other types of flowers. The flowers were this deep coral with a brown cross inside (named after Passion of Christ)

  • napapen
    7 years ago

    I think you had Gulf FRITILLARY who eat the leaves of Passion Vine. Monarchs eat milk weed. I grew passion vine for a couple of seasons and never saw any butterflies. It was in a tub so I gave it away.


  • donna_loomis
    7 years ago

    Napapen, thank you! We replaced the vine my brother mistakenly pulled up. Never had any critters on it until the last few years. I looked online trying to identify that beautiful butterfly and those awful caterpillars that dessimated Mom's beloved passion vine. We didn't plant for the critters, only planted it for Mom. Never could identify it and now you've done it for me. I just spotted a few butterflies this last week, which means that I will soon be spending my evenings out by the front porch picking of caterpillars.

  • napapen
    7 years ago

    You can always hand raise them. In a very large bottle with a lid and pick off the parts of the plant you don't want and give to them.


  • Tim Walker
    7 years ago

    Stay away from incarnata or maypop. They are invasive and will require roundup to eradicate. Get an edulis Frederick. I pull the pillars when the plant is young. After that I let nature take its course

  • donna_loomis
    7 years ago

    Napapen, there isn't a bottle big enough, LOL. Last summer I picked off thousands of those caterpillars!

  • napapen
    7 years ago

    We are in the same zone and I never see Gulf Flits except when someone gave me 4 eggs years ago. You must be in a warmer 9. I in Napa


  • donna_loomis
    7 years ago

    I'm in Contra Costa County, about 75 miles from Sacramento. Frequently temps reach over 100F.

  • Penny Pawl
    5 years ago

    I know where you are and yes it gets hot there. Napa gets bay influence.

  • Lars
    5 years ago

    I only had fruiting passion vine when I lived in Venice, and the vine got so huge growing along our long backyard wall that we would get 60-80 fruit a day in the summer - minus the ones the possums ate. I bought a Juiceman juicer to make make juice from them and get rid of the seeds, but eventually we decided that the vines were too much upkeep. We never had a problem with caterpillars, but the back parts of the vines would die and decay, causing me allergy problems.