PASSIONFLOWER - Indoor Decoration

In short: Passionflower (Passiflora) is an evergreen climbing vine from South America grown indoors for its exotic flowers up to 10 cm across. Give it a sunny south-facing window, a support to climb and regular watering. Soak seeds for 48 hours and germinate them at 22-26 °C; overwinter plants in a room at 7-15 °C.

Passion flower (lat. Passiflora) is an indoor evergreen climbing vine with exotically beautiful flowers. It belongs among plants that decorate our homes. Due to its beauty, it has been cultivated in our households for a long time. Passion flower is a very long and abundantly flowering climbing shrub. It comes from a genus of not only perennial climbing herbs, but also shrubs. Its vine-like tendrils can reach lengths of up to 2 m. The passion flower originates from South America. In warmer regions, the passion flower is grown as an ornamental plant, in subtropical areas as an edible plant. This entire genus contains approximately 520 species. Passion flower blooms have five to seven petals with a diameter of up to 10 cm. In the center of the flower is a dense crown of blue and white toned stamens. Most passion flower blooms are characterized by unusual shapes and colors. The Constance Eliott variety blooms with ivory white flowers, the Kaiserin Eugenie variety with purple flowers. The Passiflora racemosa variety creates clusters of red buds. Among passion flowers, we can also find species that bloom with very inconspicuous flowers - for example Passiflora suberosa, which has approximately 2 cm green flowers. In passion flower, the flowers grow from the leaf axils and usually bloom for only one day. The number of passion flower blooms depends on how well the plant is doing. If grown in "ideal" conditions, two, three, or even four flowers can grow from the leaf axils. The plant also forms flower buds on the tendrils by which it clings to support.

Growing Passion Flower

Passion flower is a magnificent, flowering, exotic, climbing, heat-loving plant. You can grow several species indoors, either for its sweet fruits or for its beautiful flowers. For growing passion flower, choose a medium-light substrate designed for indoor plants. Prepare a structure that will support the plant. Passion flower shoots reach lengths of over two meters. It is therefore possible, for example, to arrange and wind the grown climbing vines in a circle. This is the simplest and most stylish way to arrange the shape of the passion flower. Passion flower is a very decorative plant. It prefers a sunny location. Place it on the windowsill on the south side of your home. During summer months, you can also take the passion flower outside into the sun. Even in an outdoor location, don't forget about support, which you need to prepare for the passion flower so the climbing vines have something to cling to.

For sowing, prepare passion flower seeds. These need to be soaked in warm water for 48 hours before sowing. The passion flower seeds will swell slightly. Sow these swollen seeds to a depth of approximately half a centimeter. For sowing, use a substrate designed for this purpose, or sowing peat pellets. Newly sown passion flower seeds thrive best at room temperature, i.e. around 22-26°C.

Watering passion flowers must be regular - during vigorous growth, water daily. However, there's no need to waterlog the substrate in the pot, as this could lead to root rot. Conversely, if you forget to water the plant, it may dry out. Passion flowers benefit from regular misting.

Fertilizing is also an important element when growing passion flowers. Choose a suitable fertilizer for flowering houseplants. Excess inappropriate fertilizer can cause the plant to grow vigorously and produce lush foliage, but no flowers will appear.

If we want to grow passion flowers for their sweet fruits, we recommend pollinating the flowers. Pollination is done by picking the anthers from one flower and brushing them against the stigmas of other flowers. For abundant fruit production, it's better to grow multiple individual plants or multiple species of passion flowers. Passion flowers are only partially self-pollinating. As fruit-bearing passion flower species, we grow the following: Passiflora edulis, Passiflora mollissima, Passiflora alata, Passiflora ligularis, Passiflora maliformis, Passiflora quadrangularis.

In autumn, we start preparing passion flowers for overwintering. There are species that can tolerate frost down to -8°C, such as Passiflora caerulea. However, we prepare the others for a calm dormant period. During this overwintering period, it's advisable for passion flowers to stop their growth. As soon as cooler nights begin in autumn, we prepare a room for the passion flowers to overwinter. The room should be 7-15°C. At lower temperatures, passion flowers may drop their leaves. How to prepare the plant itself for overwintering? Cut off all the root system that has grown beyond the main root ball into the surrounding space. Also trim back the above-ground part of the plant to approximately 30 cm. During this dormant period, water the plant according to the amount of daylight. Definitely don't overwater, but don't let the root ball dry out completely.

We recommend repotting young plants into a pot that will be 2-5 cm larger in diameter than the original pot. Older plants prefer more confined space. In spring, cut the plant back to 5-6 buds. After repotting, it will quickly leaf out. If the plant has a nutrient deficiency - you'll notice this when its leaves start turning yellow. Then it's necessary to fertilize; you can even use fertilizer you have at home for flowering plants or geraniums.

Passion flowers only bloom on young shoots. They won't set flowers on old shoots without leaves. If you already have such a passion flower at home, help it with the coming spring by repotting it and giving it a spring pruning.

Interesting Facts

Passionflower is not only an ornamental plant. It is also widely used in the food industry and medicine. The fruits of some passionflower species are edible. The most well-known edible passionflower species is passion fruit (lat. Passiflora edulis) or granadilla (Passiflora lingualis). These exotic tasty fruits are a decoration not only for flowerpots, but also for gardens. We also offer a mix of exotic plants if you would like to grow more types of edible exotic plants, not just passionflower. Other known and lesser-known edible passionflower species include Passiflora alata, Passiflora quadrangularis, Passiflora laurifolia and others. The aromatic fruits of passionflower are processed into juices, nectars or jams and fruit yogurts – often its fruits mixed with other fruit are labeled as multivitamins. Passionflowers are also used in the production of medicines for their mild analgesic, sedative and spasmolytic effects. They are also used as a flavoring supplement and aroma.

An interesting fact about the passionflower is also its name, which originated from the fact that in the unusual flower of the blue passionflower Passiflora caerulea one can see the instruments of the biblical passion of Jesus Christ. When you look into the center of the flower, you will see three black styles with stigmas like nails, five stamens like the five wounds of Christ, and around them a wreath of colored filaments like a crown of thorns. The pointed ends of the petals represent a spear, their number is ten like the apostles, and the tendrils represent whips. The Latin name Passiflora was given to the passionflower by the Jesuits and in translation means passio - suffering and flos - flower.

Author: Hana Michalíková