Purple Passion Flower genus Passiflora incarnata
Purple Passion Flower genus Passiflora incarnata
Monthly Theme: Let’s get PASSIONATE!
Now that I have your attention, let’s get passionate about gardening with this month’s featured plant the Purple Passion Flower genus Passiflora incarnata. I acquired my first Passion Flower vine about 25-years ago from my mom’s yard in Valley View, OH. She started her plant from her friend Mary (we fondly called her by her last name Gonze) who lived in Walton Hills, OH. I grew it in my Cuyahoga Falls, OH yard for at least 10-years. Yearly, I enjoyed watching it pop up in late, late spring and quickly climb up an old concrete clothes line pole (I continued to use that clothes line the whole time I lived there). Then it would creep up and entwine itself around our galvanized steel chain line fence bringing tropical and stunning beauty to the landscape. When I moved to Brimfield, OH, I failed to take a starter with me. So, after a couple of years of missing the exquisite and exotic glory of this unique plant, I got another starter from mom’s garden. Sadly, Mom and Mary are no longer with us, but this supreme plant comes back year after year and often outshines all the other plants in my garden.
If you have a sunny spot with a trellis, fence, arbor or pergola this mighty plant will quickly grow and create a natural privacy screen or camouflage for any area that needs to be hidden. Don’t plant too close to your door or outdoor patio seating because the bees just LOVE the flowers. Your beekeeper friends will thank you for planting this plant! Passion Flowers are hardy to our area and native to Southeastern U.S. They can be grown in containers, but it’s a little more difficult to winter them over. Outdoors they will happily spread through their root system laterally underground, which means they will pop up in different spots in your yard. However, it’s super easy to just dig up the sprouting plant with a hand weeder and move to the location you desire for it to grow. You don’t need to grow roots or add root hormones, but do give it lots of water until it gets used to its new home.
Some common names for this climbing vine include Maypop (because if you step on the fruit, it makes a loud popping noise), Apricot Vine, and Granadilla. Besides the brilliant, showy, and fragrant flowers, they produce edible fruit. However, you really need two different species in order to grow better fruit. This plant is basically pest and disease-free. You can grow them from the seeds found inside the fruit, but it’s easier to get a starter plant. Just like my eyes, the flowers open each morning and close in the evening. After the first frost, it will totally die back. Be patient in the spring because it’s one of the last plants to start re-growing.
I’m warning you now that Passion Flower roots can spread aggressively so unless kept in check, they can be invasive. Personally, I think they are worth the effort. Passionate gardens enjoy growing plants that every other house in the neighborhood aren’t growing. Other climbing vines I grow include Morning Glories and Clematis, but my Passion Flowers outshine both of these vines.
The genus Passiflora contains 550-600 species, so the common name passionflower can describe multiple plants. I grow the hardy Passiflora incarnata species. The 3” lavender flowers are mesmerizing. They will thrive with an all-purpose fertilizer containing equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. I fertilize them every 4-6 weeks throughout the spring and summer. They don’t have to be pruned or even deadheaded unless they are getting totally out of control.
How to Plant
Plant in a sunny location.
Supply a structure for them to climb upon.
Water well as they get established.
Fertilizer throughout the growing season.
Average, but well-drained soil.
Smarty Plants Fun Facts
Passion Flowers belong to the genus Passiflora family
Full sun to Partial shade
15’-20’ tall
6.1 to 7.5 soil pH
Low/easy maintenance
“Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The More You Grow
Passion Flowers, specifically the Passiflora incarnata species are figuratively a medicine cabinet full of medicinal benefits. You can use the entire plant to make a simple tincture, you can dry leaves or boil the flowers to make a healing tea. Believe it or not, here is a long list of aliments Passion Flowers can help with: decreases anxiety, acts like an anti-depression medicine, lessens insomnia, serves as a mild sedative, provides anti-inflammatory properties, assists with menopause and prevention of hot flashes, reduces ADHD symptoms, treats hypertension, offers an overall calming effect, and combats muscle spasms. Historically, Passion Flowers can be found in European and British pharmacopoeias, but in the U.S. the FDA has prohibited it for over-the-counter sedative uses. Unfortunately, it seems like we are always a step behind when it comes to alternative remedies.
There are lots of religious symbolism assigned to the Passion Flower both in Hinduism and Christianity. For example, early Catholic missionaries used the flower to teach the Indians about the Crucifixion of Christ. The story used the flowers complex blossom to represent the Passion of Christ. The center stamen represented the cross, the ten pedals represented the ten disciples (excluding Peter and Judas), the three stigmas represented the three nails used to hang Christ to the cross, the hair-like filaments represented the crown of thorns, the five anthers represented five wounds Christ suffered, and the 3-lobed leaves represented the Trinity. In Hindi, the plant is called a Krishakamal.
It’s known that this plant was cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas thousands of years ago. Also, the Cherokee from Tennessee used this plant for generations for food and medicinal purposes. In fact, the Passion Flower is Tennessee’s state wildflower.
Make room in your garden for Passion Flowers and I can assure you that you too will become passionate about the Passion Vine!