Plants for bedding out in the summer
While some Passion Flowers are very tender and struggle with winter temperatures below 10°C there are a great many of very dramatic ones which will be perfectly happy with a minimum of 5°C and some which will take down to zero. If the cold is for a short period it is surprising what can make it through. Our P. racemosa ‘Buzios’ which needs a minimum of 7°C according to the books survived a greenhouse broken pane disaster on a very cold night and survived a drop to -9°C according to the thermometer. So they can surprise you. None of the following are likey to survive outside even in our mild estuary location on the North Devon coast. However, with the following set, we find that it is possible to bed them out for the summer, then dig them up, pot them up in large (10 to 20 litre) pots and return to the greenhouse for the winter. Although passion flowers planted outside send their roots down very deep And it becomes difficult to move them, this only happens in the second season.
Passiflora ‘Byte’
Passiflora ‘Byte’ is a wonderful hybrid
Passiflora x belotii
This cross (P. alata x P. caerulea) by William Masters dates back to 1824 and has had a number of named varieties. There is still considerable debate about whether they should all be listed under this name. More recently it has been repeated to create a slightly smaller hybrid with more bowl -shaped filaments (see P.’Perfume Passion’ below) but an equally intoxicating scent (of the kind that I call type I, and overpoweringly sweet scent which can almost make your head hurt)
Passiflora x allardii
This cross (P.quadrangularis x P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’) from E. J. AllardAt the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens in 1907 is often mistaken for x belotii especially since a number of different versions of the same cross go under the x belotii name. The easiest way to distinguish them, in my view, is by the scent. While x belotii has a very heavy almost narcotic type smell, x allardii has a much cleaner citrus type scent (which readers of Iain M Banks would know as ‘Clear Blue’)
Passiflora ‘Marijke’
This is a hybrid of Passiflora decaisneana with P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’. It is rare for such a cross to keep the full red colour (see similar crosses P x allardii and P x belotii). I have also found it a bit of a challenge to look after and have currently lost it sadly.
Passiflora ‘Vivacious Velvet’
Passiflora ‘Vivacious Velvet’ is a cross we made in 2023. It is P. amethystina ‘Domingo Martins’ x P. caerulea. Unfortunately we lost the P. amethystina but the offspring is delightful. It is not dissimilar to P. ‘Purple Haze’ and P. ‘Purple Rain’. We are currently testing it for hardiness.
Passiflora ‘Anastasia’
Passiflora ‘Anastasia’ is P. gritensis x P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’. Passiflora gritensis was only discovered in the 1990s but with its striking well coloured flowers and fertility, it has been much used by breeders. P. ‘Anastasia’ is and is a great robust plant that can go out in summer. It needs a winter minimum of 5 degrees C.
P. ‘Byron Beauty’ x P. ‘Temptation’ therefore ((P. edulis x P. incarnata’) x (P. incarnata x P. cincinnata))
This passionflower comes from the same sort of background as did Passiflora ‘Incense’ which appeared in the 1970s, but has fallen out of favour due to its latent virus issues and reluctance to root as a cutting. Passiflora ‘Inspiration’ along with P. ‘Temptation’ are triploid recreations of ‘Incense’ while ‘Byron Beauty’ is also a triploid hybrid.
In any case this is a stunning passionflower with what I call type three scent (a spicy variant on the heavy sweet pea sent type). In 2021 it flowered profusely all summer and is one of my top recommends for a conservatory/greenhouse passionflower, like many it can go outside for the summer. – Breeder: Dr Roland Fischer
This form of Passiflora loefgrenii from the Corupá municipality in Brazil is somewhat smaller and less showy than the form from Iporanga, 200 miles further north. Nonetheless it is very pretty, free flowering and readily sets fruit, also providing a great deal of pollen for those who fancy trying some amateur breeding. Minimum winter temperature: 5degrees C
Passiflora ‘Monika Fischer’
Passiflora ‘Monika Fischer’ is a lovely hybrid from Dr Roland Fischer
Devon Subtropical Garden 