How to Grow A Passion Plant Vine

Passion Flower vine will add a touch of the exotic to your garden.

Native to Brazil, the passion plant vine (also referred to as passion flower vine or simply passion vine), which boasts distinctive, large purple or red flowers, is not frost-tolerant, but otherwise is a remarkably easy vine to grow. Passion vine is a vigorous climber and will need a trellis or sturdy structure for support.

Passion vine's flowers bloom almost continually throughout the growing season and will attract butterflies to your garden. Passion vines are either ornamental or fruit-bearing. Both require the same care. Passion vine is hardy from zone 9 to 11.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Compost
• Mulch
• Garden shears
• 10-5-20 fertilizer

Instructions

1. Select a location that receives full or partial sun. In hot climates, passion vine needs protection from the intense afternoon sun.

2. Loosen the soil with a shovel to a depth of 18 inches. Amend with organic soil. Plant your passion vine at the same depth it was growing in its previous container.

3. Water well to collapse any air pockets. Passion vine is not drought-tolerant. Keep the soil moist but not soggy.

4. Fertilize your passion vine with a 10-5-20 fertilizer four times a year during the growing season to promote flowering. Apply the fertilizer at the first sign of spring growth. A general purpose fertilizer might stimulate too much growth and reduced flowering.

5. Prune in the fall in warmer climates. If you live in a climate that experiences frost, wait until spring to prune your Passion Vine. The canopy will help protect the vine from frost damage. When pruning, remove any dead or dying vines and reduce the overall vine size by one-third.

6. Spread a thick layer of mulch around your passion vine to protect its shallow roots from the heat and to conserve moisture.

7. Pick your fruit when they change color from green to deep purple or yellow depending upon the variety.

Tips & Warnings

• Planting your passion vine near a south facing wall in a cooler climate will help protect it from frost.

• Passion fruit is sweetest a few days after picking.

• The roots of passion vine are poisonous.

References

• Alternative Nature Online Herbal: Passion Flower
• Daves Garden: Passion Vine
• Plant Care: Passion Vine
• Tropcamango: Passion Fruit