Free Passion Flower Plants

Passion flower is a popular household plant belonging to the genus Passifloraceae. It has around 500 different species. It is good to know that this plant also falls in the family of Passifloraceae. It is vines and at the same time, some of the species of this plant are shrubs and even herbs. If you know how this plant looks like, you will notice it growing in south Asia, East Asia, New Guinea and South Americca. They are mostly common in countries like Australia, California, Florida, New Zealand. In some parts of the world such as in the United States, you will simply find this plant growing as a roadside weed but it will come beautifully beautifying the road environment.

Passion vine, passion flower, maypop and granadilla are some of the common names to this plant.

Passion flower vine will grow as tall as 15 to 30 feet tall. You will just love viewing this elegant plant in your home garden if you have one at home.

At a first glance, you will find that passion flower appears delicate but you can definitely try growing this plant in your home environment and start loving the plant.

Bloom : As the name suggests, the passion flower is greatly known by its bloom. It gives rise to one of the most exotic bloom. You will notice the bloom opening for only a day long. The bloom is just so beautiful and you will love it no matter. The petal to this bloom comes in 5 to 10 petals. It comes in a circular manner. This bloom come in a variety of colors from pink to purple and blue to white, red and even mixed range of colors. You will see this plant repeatedly growing over the peak summer months to the end of summer months. The bloom comes as big as three inches. You can plant it both indoor and outdoor.

Passion flower fruit : Passion flower produces not just unique and beautiful bloom but also delicious fruit that is edible. The fruit comes as big as a hen’s egg and will have different color depending upon the type of specie it is from. This fruits can be eaten directly or turned into home-made jam and vine. The fruit will have quite a number of seeds and you may find difficulty eating but it can be perfect in making jelly. This fruit serves as a good food for insects such as butterfly, ants and bees. It is also eaten by birds.

Plantation and care : Growing passion flower inside a pot is suggested because this plant can spread in an inconvenient way and spreading beyond limit. Letting it grow inside a pot will allow the plant to grow in a limited space preventing it from being unruly or growing out of limit.

Some of the passion flowers that are suggested by the gardeners are Passiflora edulis, Passiflora alata, Passiflora incarnate.

And the best time to let this plant grow is during the spring month i.e. June. It will start blooming in July and the following months if proper care is given.

Allow enough space for the plant to grow because passion flower vine will spread up to around 15 feet tall.

It is easy to grow passion flower. However, here are some things to keep in mind while you plant this plant.

Fertilizer : It will be good if you can provide a well balanced fertilizer for this plants proper growth. It is good that you add fertilizer during the spring months preparing it for a healthy growth during its active growing months in the summer. Add fertilizer at an interval of six weeks time.

Light : The passion flower needs some amount of light for its healthy growth. It enjoys blooming in a sunny environment but it does prefer growing in a partial sunny locations. If the plant has been exposed to a lot of sunshine, it should be a good thing to let the plant grow in a shady location during some part of your day.

This plant requires minimum of four hours exposure to sunlight. But it is good to know that this plant can grow well in cool climates too and prefers growing in partial shade. During the winter months, it is good to bring the plant indoor so that the winter frost cannot kill the plant. Soil : Passion flower prefers growing in a well-drained soil that is rich in humus and compost manure. It will grow best in soil that is moist and is neutral in the SoilpH value.

Propagation : Passion flower be propagated in a number of ways. You can apply the seeding, cutting, rhizome or layering method when it comes to propagating a passion flower. It is not a fussy plant when it comes to propagating. If you applying the seeding method of propagating passion flower make sure that you soak the seed in warm water for around twelve hours and plant it in a pot rich with compost manure along with having a well drained soil. The best time propagate your passion flower is during the spring months.

Pruning : Pruning in a passion flower is common at some point as this plant grows as tall as 30 feet if you don’t prune. It can take extra space. Thus, pruning is done to get a healthy growth along with a neat growth where you can remove the dead or old leaves and flowers by cutting them down with a well sterilized scissors. The best time to prune your passion flower is during the early spring and late winter months. Pruning will encourage fuller growth along with healthy growth.

Problem and pests : You may feel that passion flower being a tropical plant is often attacked by some outside agents. Well, you are not wrong but this plant has less problems compared to other tropical plants. However, you should be careful about the plant getting attacked by pests such as white flies, scale and spider mites.

Sometimes the leaves turn brown and spotted. This is mostly because of fungus attack. In order to keep the plant away from fungus disease, you can use fungicide and cut off the affected parts of the leaves.

Uses : Passion flower has quite a lot of good uses. Centuries ago to this day, passion flower has been medically used in treating wounds, liver problem or even ear aches. This plant especially, Passiflora incarnate is used in treating insomnia, anxiety or even stomach disturbances but don’t use it unless you are instructed by your physician. Overall, it has great calming effect. People drink passion flower in order to calm their mind, relax their body and feel the calming effect this plant can bring.

This plant has some antioxidant potential that is useful in treating ulcer in stomach.

You will find passion flower tea, tablets and even extracts in the market.

Caution : Although this plant has useful medicinal impact, you need to know that this plant is not recommended in a regular basis. For instance, if you are using this plant in a daily basis, you may feel sleepy, confused and dizzy where you will end up not doing almost anything but feeling bored.

This plant is not suggested for a pregnant women or someone who is breast feeding.