Mark,
Unfortunately I don't have the ones you are looking for. Would Passiflora exoniensis x parritae grow in zone 8 Charleston, SC? I have wanted that one for a while but can't even manage to keep mollissima alive for more than a skinny minute. Thank you!
Melissa

Hi Melissa,

All of the parents of P. exoniensis x parritae (mollissima, antioquiensis and parritae) can only take temps to the mid to upper 20s from what I've read (I think I've occasionally seen lower for mollissima). So you would definitely have to protect it over the winter at least some of the time. I have only had mine since February and our last really cold weather (26 F) was in January, so I really don't know what it can take.

However, even if you protect it from the cold, the summer heat could get you. I've heard stories that people grow P. exoniensis in Florida, but not much detail--can they bloom it? The usual story you hear with Tacsonias, of course is that they don't really like it over 85 and that they really need cool nights. However, we have had two big heat waves already this year, and the plant actually seemed to like it. Recently it hit 96 and then 98 and the plant responded by increasing its growth rate from 1 inch/day to 2 inches/day. However...the nights were in the 50s. My plant is also where it gets full shade in the afternoon.

So I doubt it would live outside all year there, but you are welcome to try. I actually rooted a bunch of these during our first heat wave, when it was 80 and above inside for several days in a row. One of the cuttings was in those 80 degree temperatures PLUS bottom heat, and it rooted slightly faster than the other ones. So perhaps this hybrid isn't bothered by heat as much as some others? I don't know. Still I would give it shade in the afternoon. Since it's so easy to root it would also be easy to take cuttings and risk a plant in the cold.