Blue Passion Flower

A beautiful plant with wonderfully complex, exotic flowers, Passiflora caerulea is a large, vigorous, woody, deciduous to semi-evergreen climber with clinging tendrils, best against a warm, sunny wall in mild areas – it will not thrive in colder regions. The dark green, glossy leaves have 5-7 long, finger-like lobes. From July to September, large white flowers, 3”/8cm wide, with blue and purple filaments, said to represent Christ’s crown of thorns, five anthers, representing His wounds and three upper stigmas, representing the nails of the cross. The flowers are followed, in warm summers, by ovoid, orange fruits. Blue passion flower holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered, south- to west-facing site
Soil: Any reasonably light, moist but well-drained soil
Position: Full sun; tolerates partial shade
Season of interest: Late summer and early autumn in particular
Hardiness:  Fairly hardy
Height: 40’ (12m) Spread: 13’ (4m)