The Passion Flower is cold hardy throughout zones 6-10. It is very invasive here in zone 7, but dies back to the ground every winter. The blooms are almost alien like in appearence, with an extreme fragrance. The blooms last one day, from early morning to late night. Passion Fruit is produced out of the bloom. The fruit is about as big as a fist, full of mostly air and seeds, but contains a small amount of meat in the center, which can be used for cooking or just as a snack right off the vine. Passion Flower is a vine with dark glossy green leaves that are lobed at the top. The leaves are bigger towards the top of the vine, sometimes as big as a napkin. The flowers are of course purple, with some white mixed in. It attracts many bees and hummingbirds throughout the summer. It begins to bloom from the middle of June to the middle of October in my area, maybe longer in areas with longer growing seasons? I have had my Passion Flower vine for 2 years and in that time, it has managed to grow 15ft(>5m). It grows nearly 3 inches per day and seems to grow best in lots of heat and humidity, in full sun. On a 90F day, I've seen this vine grow 5 inches! Its not Kudzu, but be careful where you put this vine. I have mine on a trellis with my Chinese Porcelain Vine, which is now taken over by the Passion Flower! Passiflora incarnata also seems to have a heck of a root system. Runners are popping up everywhere within a 8 foot radius of the vine, which I mow over constantly
. The tendrils have also managed to grab a hold of my Hardy Hibiscus pulling them every which way. Despite its invasive nature, that can be solved my simple pruning and chopping. The fruits produced are well worth the trouble, as well as the beauty and fragrance of the blooms which lure hummingbirds all summer! I recommend it!
