Last week I spent a sunny afternoon wandering around the lush gardens and container plantings at several of the Smithsonian museums. Rounding the corner in one exquisite garden, where the horticultural eye-candy had my head on a swivel, I happened upon a large container filled with a profusion of show-stopping blooms. The vine was growing up a trellis and tumbling happily over the top. Its deep violet flowers, set against shiny green foliage, released their sweet fragrance in the gentle breeze. It was one of Mother Nature's most perfect creations - the passion flower or Passiflora spp.
Passion flower is an excellent container plant and can be planted now in temperate climates. As we in the Northern Hemisphere head into fall and winter, this is a good time to plant perennials to give them solid "footing" for winter. The sun is still warm enough to nurture the plant for the next couple of months and get it started. In areas where the winters are cold (below 0 degrees F.), containers can be wrapped in burlap or other protective material or brought indoors.
Prized for its unusual flower structure as well as its vigorous growth, the passion flower takes its name from religious symbolism. According to the Sunset Northeastern Garden Book, "Flower parts can be seen to symbolize elements of the passion of Christ...the lacy crown represents a halo or crown of thorns; the five stamens, the five wounds; the ten petal-like parts, the ten faithful apostles."
Not surprising, these beauties demand full sun. Provide them as well with good drainage and moderate water and they'll be happy. Be sure to add a trellis to your container when planting, so the vines can have support to grow. There are some wonderful trellises on the market in various shapes and designs which can provide the necessary support and also add an intriguing architectural element to your container. When choosing a container, it should be big enough to hold the trellis and accommodate the vine's growth. Although passion flowers can grow 20-30 feet in the ground, you can keep them pruned to around 5 feet in a container.
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