I grow a couple here in Lake Charles. I have a red one, Passiflora Vitifolia. It dies back every winter, sometimes all the way down. Our low here was 23 or 24 in late Dec. Mine has just started coming out. It will bloom later in the summer and likes to travel through other plants or on the ground. However, it does not run under ground, or at least it hasn't for me. One the other hand, Passiflora Incense, is a prolific bloomer, very nice, but runs underground. It will drive you crazy; almost worse than wisteria. I finally put down weed cloth and covered with 4 inches of mulch to keep it from running in my yard but still found a few pop ups 10 feet away. I just round up those. My neighbor on the other hand has the problem now since it is growing on a fence on our property line. He just keeps mowing them down. This one barely died back at 23 and began producing new growth a week after that bad freeze. In New Orleans, you are much warmer than here so I would suspect a passion vine would go crazy. Maybe a pretty Clematis would be more tame.

Steve

Passionflowers are host to the Gulf Coast Frittilary, a very nice butterfly that lays so many eggs that after a couple years you may not have a problem with even the rampant growing ones. Kinda unsightly bare stems all over the place tho'. My first passiflora was a nicely restrained one the caterpillars killed. My current one is pretty rambunctious now but already has been eaten back a lot. There are some that are quite small, and some sort of middle-sized, and some we can't grow 'cause they don't like the heat, so it's a good idea to do a little research for one that will suit you and your circumstances. (Of course, you can always spray for the caterpillars, but I thought the whole side yard where the vine grows was going to lift off last year. Well worth the damage!)

I am growing about 4 kinds in New Orleans. 'Blue Bouquet' and 'Jeannette' are prolific bloomers with a purple color; 'Lady Margaret' is a beautiful dark red; and caerula hs white petals but a purple center. That last one is the most vigorous but even it is not a problem to restrain - and I have 5 fruits developing on it! These all survived the winter in New Orleans.

I not an expert on passionflowers. But my problem was it was taking over the yard of my old house. I like the flower so I cut back where I didn,t want it. This year I place a piece in a 15gal. pot surrounded by some chicken wire I purchase. An put it in the very back of the yard where I can see it bloom from the patio door & windows on the back of the house. If this works I,ll continue to do this across the whole backyard. Just to add interest,I also did this with a moonvine & mandaville vines.
I also did this with a moonvine & mandaville vines.

Hi Jomoncon, I live across the lake in Slidell and grow the passion vine for the beautiful blooms and the wonderful butterflies that come to it and breed on it. Mine are either eaten up by the caterpillars each year (in late summer and fall) or just keep growing. I grow purple crown and another that I don't know the name of. Beautiful beautiful. Mine are all in containers. This might be your answer. Also, if the caterpillars eat it all up, don't worry. It will come back in the spring. Don't cut it back though. Leave all of the vine. The pieces that don't die back in the cold will produce new vines and leaves. Hope this yelps.