i have several things on your wish list. i would love to have starts of your snail vine and ginger.

incarnata is an amazing plant. I planted one last year outside, and it's much bigger and more full this year than last, with numerous root sprouts (suckers or pups). Mine also has 2 fruits that are growing right now. Can't wait to taste them. P. Incarnata is listed by John Vanderplank as the hardiest passionflower, being able to withstand temperatures down to 25 below zero F. Even in the tropics, he says, this species dies back for the "winter." This would be the best choice for Iowa, but you'll want to get one started early in the year inside in a pot (like around March) so get some growth on it before you plant it oudoors. When you do, plant it in full sun and watch your watering for the first year. You don't want it to dry out, but at the same time, if you water it too much, this will discourage the plant from seeking it's own water source and sending down deep roots. Also, make sure to cover the roots with some mulch the first few year until the plant has established. Other than that, sit back and enjoy. Two great books are "Passionflowers" by John Vanderplank, and "Passiflora: Passionflowers of the World" by Torsten Ulmer and John Macdougal. Both are illustrated, and very informative. Good luck. ~derek

Where are you located? Looks like Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) to me, which is THE species for fruit in all but subtropical areas (where much bigger much better cultivated types dominate). Pollination is a problem though, and you need another plant nearby from a different clone (most growers will sell identical plants grown from cuttings, which can’t pollinate one another). Good luck with it?

My Passion Fruit Vine is a purple one. It's growing on a trellis in sand, in full sun (southeast exposure) without any fertilizer. It bloomed this spring and the plentiful flowers were beautiful, but well hidden by the foliage. Now it's loaded with large fruit, but has started to drop some before they look ripe. To answer your question, Isaac, I think this vine needs sun rather than fertilizer to bloom. Now to ask one of my own - why is mine dropping its fruit? Can I ripen it in the kitchen?