Re: passiflora x caeruleoracemosa
Jools wrote:
>I've just been given this plant but can find out nothing about it. If it
>is derived from p. caerulea then I'd like to try it on my sunny balcony,
>otherwise it's probably not hardy enough and will have to be found a place
>in the commuter trainload of plants in my conservatory. It has pinky purple
>petals, with a faint white band running down the centres, but otherwise
>looks pretty much like p. caerulea.
This is a variable hybrid with several forms - some excellent, others
slightly less so. It seems to be quite hardy given good drainage,
deep planting and protection from freezing winds, tolerating frosts of
up to minus 5C for short periods. The wine-red flowers are produced
with astonishing freedom and as the season progresses, short, lateral,
leafy racemes develop, carrying up to 10, 12 cms. wide blooms as well
as those borne singly in the leaf axils.
I've grown this for many years both indoors in a large conservatory
and outside in my present garden. Of the hybrids likely to succeed in
more southerly parts of the UK, it is probably the best, most
colourful and certainly most floriferous. Only the lack of any
fragrance prevents it from being a 'five star' climber. Under glass,
I've seen it carry a couple of thousand open flowers and although it
rarely performs as well out of doors, I can bank on it providing a
very good splash of colour from June or early July until December or
even January each year. Currently, I have it growing in combination
with the variegated and lime green forms of Helichrysum petiolatum
which are obligingly tolerant and weave their way through, sending out
sprays of bright, contrasting foliage in a slightly wayward, almost
degagee manner. The royal purple flowered Maurandia barclaiana has
seeded itself down in the same spot too and it's impromptu appearance
has proved as rewarding as it is surprising.
I've got some pages up about this and other plants which you can
access by pointing your browser to:
http://www.ilsham.demon.co.uk/new/pass_cm.htm
Excuse typos etc - the pages are only there for testing purposes at
the moment and amended versions with hopefully better pics minus any
howlers, will be put up at some stage in the autumn.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
