Passiflora and other "exotic" climbers

I'll start this thread off with the Passiflora as I've decided that next year I am going to start a small Passiflora collection. So far it extends to P.antioquensis................


"Amethyst"................


I also have a small bog standard Passiflora caerulea and a small P.incarnata. Also, I may have seeds for P.umbilicata coming from the States..............


(read more here)

What have you got or grown in the past (please feel free to post photos) and any recommendations (especially for hardier forms).

 

Hi Longk,

The one I've grown this year is Rhodochiton and I've loved it. I've saved the seeds off it for next year and also given it a bit of a prune back. It's now growing nicely again.

The one I'd like to try next year is the Spanish Flag, Mina Lobata. I'd also like to get some Ecremocarpus Scaber.

 

I've grown Mina lobata for a couple of years and I find it needs a good summer to do well here in Devon. I grow Eccremocarpus scaber; once established it seems to be hardier than many people think. I've seen it growing happily outside in Lincolnshire. @Anthony Rogers I may have some seed if you are interested.
Dicentra scandens (now Dactylicapnos scandens) is a hardy perennial here coming back every spring then growing and flowering well.
D

 

Grown a few passifloras over the years, my favourite is P. alata, but dont really have the space for that so much these days, being that I found it did best kept fairly warm in winter.
Still got a few on the go these days though, mostly only if they can stand frost or min of 0 C.

One I really like is a P. anastasia, quite large red flowers, spends summer outside.


P. XBellotti is another large flowered hybrid. Not really fost hardy, but grows in cool greenhouse. Its also scented.


Purple haze is a nice flower, but I find the flowers a bit sparse.


Pretty hardy and close to P. cerulea is contance elliot, survived -3 C up to now.


P. white lightning appears fairly hardy, but I prefer cerulea.

P. victoria is in my greenhouse, growing basically as a weed, but I like it, so it stays.

I did have a plant of P. racemosa some years ago that I wish I still had, it flowered mainly in winter, but the red flowers were held in clusters on the old wood.
Also grew P. manicata, but could not get flower buds until autumn, being a cool grower. By that time it was always too large to over winter without cutting back.

 

I'm going to have to try and grow some Passsiflora next year, is it easy from seed or buy the plant ?
Fantastic photos everyone, not sure how they would over winter in the North West

 

Longk,

I had a "thing" for Passiflora some time ago.
Managed to track down some of the rarer tropical species.
But their maintenance is difficult - the need for constant warmth and humidity and I sadly lost them over a period of time.

I now just have a caerulea in the garden.

 

Thanks for the replies chaps!

I've never overwintered this (or rather never put any effort into overwintering it) for no reason other than I find it so easy from seed. I'm interested to see the results now.

I consider the pure species (as opposed to the Tresco hybrids) to be fully hardy here in the Cotswolds too.

I've germinated seeds of this many times but always lose them through neglect when they're young seedlings. I will deffo try again though.

If the fruit matures the juice does make good ice cream and sorbets.

You're not kidding! Not a plant that I've had much joy with and yours embarrasses me no end!

I grew that one a few years ago as well. Like you I found it got too big and gave it away.

That is a beauty Pete!

P.antioquensis is similar. We then grew it in a fair bit of shade and found it would bloom from early September until the first frost.

Common species/cultivars are so readily available that I just buy the plants. The common ones are perfectly hardy here and we see some of the coldest overnight temperatures quite often.

I am more interested in some of the higher altitude
species when it comes to the rarer species. Having said that my heart will probably rule my head

 

For those interested in Passion Flowers this site may be of interest/use http://www.passionflow.co.uk/index.htm

 

As will this site........................
http://www.passiflora.it/temperatureminime.htm

 

Not really sure you can have a small collection of Passiflora.
I find space is always the biggest problem, and cutting back just stops them flowering.

A plant I like, which is not really a climber, more a shrub that can be tied to a support for summer flowering and cut hard back in winter when dormant.
Podranea ricasoliana. Still working on how hardy it is, but I only needs minimum heat/protection.


And I'm still working out how hardy Bougainvillea actually is, I'm protecting the root area and lower branches from frost, but the upper branches survived last winter with just a little die back.
Its on a west facing wall.


Good old Campsis, this is "indian summer"

 

I rather like that but I suspect that here it would need a conservatory. I could be wrong - I have grown its relative Pandorea jasminoides successfully by keeping it frost free but that croaked when it got frosted.

Are you saying that it stayed in the green?

One that bombed repeatedly here! No probs with hardiness but they rarely start growing before June. I've had buds a few times but they're so late that the frost gets them.

One thing that I do have thanks to @PeterS is Mucuna sempervirens..................


(photo borrowed from this page)
It blooms in the spring on the previous years growth so we'll soon see if I've been successful!

The following are not exotic or tropical but they are not often grown and certainly more eye-catching than their common sweet pea relatives;
Lathyrus sativus azureus.................




Lablab purpureus..............


Caiophora hibiscifolia is a pretty rare tender climber here in the UK................




Thunbergia gregorii will survive a few degrees of frost if there is enough woody growth for it to reshoot from................




Bomarea edulis is a rampant hardy climber to grow through early flowering shrubs..............

 

@pete - although we're in the south we're also a long way inland. Check the overnight lows at Brize Norton (five miles away as the crow flies) and you'll see it is frequently the coldest or close (in an average winter) on quite a regular basis.