Passiflora caerulea?

[ColdBonsai]

Anyone grow this plant in zone 7? I've read it can be hardy down to zone 6, but don't know if that's true.

I have one I'd like to plant... will it get out of control and take over trees and shrubs?

I wouldn't mind if it found its way up one of my larger trees, but I'd hate for it to harm the tree.

I'm thinking it will be deciduous at best, but probably a die back perennial. Hopefully someone growing this plant can offer some input?

Edited April 9, 2021 by ColdBonsai

[Silas_Sancona]

40 minutes ago, ColdBonsai said:

Anyone grow this plant in zone 7? I've read it can be hardy down to zone 6, but don't know if that's true.

I have one I'd like to plant... will it get out of control and take over trees and shrubs?

I wouldn't mind if it found its way up one of my larger trees, but I'd hate for it to harm the tree.

I'm thinking it will be deciduous at best, but probably a die back perennial. Hopefully someone growing this plant can offer some input?

It will climb for sure, but stems don't wrap around branches like other vines can to gain height.. ( uses tendrils to reach out and grasp things ) so it won't try to strangle anything it climbs on, just hang from it.  Only issue you might encounter is it shading out growth below anything it rambles over ( low shrubs, ..that sort of stuff )

As far as hardiness there is an observation made from Idaho on Dave's Garden referencing that it had survived 10F up there.. There are some other Passiflora that i believe would survive zone 7 winters, though pretty sure those would die back to the roots in the winter.  P. incarnata supposedly can survive down to zone 5.
 

[amh]

1 hour ago, ColdBonsai said:

Anyone grow this plant in zone 7? I've read it can be hardy down to zone 6, but don't know if that's true.

I have one I'd like to plant... will it get out of control and take over trees and shrubs?

I wouldn't mind if it found its way up one of my larger trees, but I'd hate for it to harm the tree.

I'm thinking it will be deciduous at best, but probably a die back perennial. Hopefully someone growing this plant can offer some input?

I haven't grown Passiflora caerulea, but I do grow Passiflora incarnata, which is very cold (zone 5) and drought hardy. I believe Passiflora caerulea is hardy to zone 7.

I should mention that Passiflora incarnata will spread aggressively, which I consider to be a good thing.

Edited April 9, 2021 by amh

[ColdBonsai]

Thanks both of you! Very informative and helpful. I'm excited to give this a shot.

I feel more comfortable with it being manageable in my landscape too. Doesn't sound like it will be too much of a thug. 

And if this one fails it sounds like I can give incarnata a try... 

[amh]

You should be safe from the gulf fritillary butterflies in Boise.

[mulungu]

I had a fairly young Passiflora caerulea survive 8 F (so at least good to 7b temps) in our big freeze here in Texas in February, as seen below, with only mild burn of some of the older leaves. 

As for thuggishness... yes it can be in a warm summer climate.  Even as a young plant in a small pot it was revealing tendencies like that, secretly sending out runners into the ground, which is why I decided to contain it in a pot on concrete. That and the gulf fritillary caterpillars keep it within bounds here.

ex