Passion Flower climber looking a bit worse for wear

My passion flower climber is looking a bit sorry for itself. I only planted it last year but it bloomed well all summer (no fruit though) and really took off. The leaves stayed green over winter, but started to yellow and fall off in the last few weeks. Now its just a tangled mess of yellow branches and a few leaves.

I've cut it back, not hard, but took it down to about 3 foot from the ground - it made it to the top of the fence, 7 foot plus, last year. I don't see any new growth appearing yet. Its planted in good sunlight, next to the edge of the patio, but in the border, in fairly decent soil and has a warm fence behind it (sun from 11am to sunset). Oh yes, and its the regular Passiflora Caerulea blue variety.

I take heart that two neighbours have them as well - the first is looking in exactly the same state as mine and the other one has cut hers down severely (it usually scrambles all over her fence and wall). Should I be concerned or is this normal behaviour and will it recover?

Thanks!

 

Hi Aaron,

My passionflower sulked for the first year I bought it, EXPLODED last year (going from half a fence panel to about 4-5 panels and then had a very rough winter. Mine sounds similar to your description - yellowed leaves, bare branches.

I would have been upset about this, but with its spread it has moved to a sheltered and warm spot between the fence and the side of the greenhouse and that part of the passionflower (i.e. from the same rootstock) is growing very well and full of green leaves. I just think that the particularly cold winter has taken its toll on the more exposed parts of the plant. I am confident it will be coming back to health pretty soon. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist?!:yho::yho:

 

Here's hoping. I hope that part of the fence isn't cursed. The last climber there faded as well (although it was a honeysuckle, in the full glare of the summer sun - moving it helped a lot!).

Anyone else any ideas?

 

"Anyone else any ideas?"

Cold winter here, and passion Flower not mega-hardy ...

 

I have one looking similar as well.

I think we need a spell of sustained temps above 15C to get them moving.
They dont die easily and usually sucker if all the top parts are killed.

 

15 years ago Passion flowers were grown as conservatory plants, so it`s no wonder they have taken a battering this winter, Have patience they should come back.:thumb:

 

Cheers folks. Didn't know they were frost hardy-I always thought they were tough as old boots. Fingers crossed for it - Pete, the temperature here is showing that 15' plus hopefully this week!

 

Well http://www.passionflow.co.uk/common-passion-flower-passiflora-caerulea.htm says that the bog standard variety is hardy to -8C, which is more hardy than i thought. Its rather a nice looking site, I may have to grow some edible ones in the conservatory having read that ...

 

Evening Aaron ... hope you haven't got this monster in the ground as you do say you have P caerulea ... as it sends runners to hell and back.

I am plagued here by the cutting I brought from the Isle of Wight .... it sends new shoots up in cracks and crevices on my new patios and in various parts of the garden. There have been many conversations about this here on GC (do a search) and one person had it sending shoots up in his lawn .... horrors! My sister (Kedi-Gato from Germany) is now experiencing similar in her Wintergarten (conservatory with plants planted in the ground inside) and they are trying to eradicate it. The problem seems to develop after being in the ground some 4-6 years.

Good luck with yours .....

 

Hi Vicky, yep, its in the ground and was fine until the cold weather when it started losing leaves. But its also next to the patio and with the amount of concrete under the brick paving, it'll have trouble sprouting under that!

I'll be happy if it survives!

 

Aaron, it loses it's leaves here in our 'winter' .... the concrete paving has probably protected and saved it from dying in the cold ... I'm pleased you'll be pleased in a couple of years .... :hehe:

Mine had taken over our shed, the large Solanum rantonetti and the orange tree behind it ... in one season .... I have now cut it back to about 1.5 meters and it's shooting everywhere .... I can't get the roots out from under the concrete ....

 

You'll have to paint the shoots with herbicide Vicky.

Serves you right for growing the bog standard species when in your situation you could grow many different types and not have to stick to the hardiest one.:D

 

It's too late when I find the shoots 30-50cms tall in strange places .... I do have paint-on Tumbleweed ????

I didn't know how invasive this creature/monster was .... it was 3-4 years before my GC days and my education in gardening .....

My P Victoria is coming back .... .... as is the one Sis brought down from Germany having taken a cutting from here .... :dh: Both of these are in pots .....

 

I wish mine was as vigorous!