How to plant and care for Passion Flower (Blue)

Passiflora caerulea

🌸 Flower 🔁 Perennial

Astonishing blue-and-white flowers like intricate clocks, all summer, followed by orange (edible but bland) fruits. Fast and fairly hardy on a warm wall.

When to plant and care for it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Flowers

Prune

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Passion Flower (Blue): what it needs

Light: Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water well for the first summer, then in dry spells
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil
Spacing: 2 m
Height: 6–10 m
In pots: Only in large containers
Feeding: Balanced feed in spring
Hardiness: USDA zones 7–10

Step by step

On planting day
Plant
Plant 30 cm away from the wall or fence, leaning the stems towards it on canes. Tie them to wires or a trellis as they grow.
0–1 days after “Plant”
Water In Well
Give a full can of water, then keep moist for the first few weeks while roots establish.
7–14 days after “Water In Well”
Mulch Around the Base
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plant, keeping it off the stems.

Every year

March
Spring Prune
Cut back side shoots to 2–3 buds from the main framework and remove frost-damaged growth.
May
Tie In Shoots
Tie in new shoots to the trellis or wires.
July
In Flower
Amazing flowers — take a close-up photo.