Passiflora caerulea

RHS Plant Profile
blue passion flower

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Passiflora caerulea?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
blue passion flower Christopher Whitehouse
blue passion flower visionspictures.com

Other common names

blue crown, common passion flower, flower of five wounds, southern beauty, wild apricot

Synonyms

Passiflora mayana
Passiflora chinensis

Award of Garden Merit
Climber Wall Shrub
Thank you - your purchase supports our charity work Buy this from RHS Plants Shop
Buy online from £34.99Buy this from Plant Nurseries
40 Suppliers

A vigorous, large, evergreen climber about 10m tall, bearing rich green leaves to 10cm long, with 5-7 finger-like lobes. Bowl-shaped flowers to 8cm in width, are white, with blue and purple coronal filaments, flowering from summer to autumn, then followed by ovoid orange fruits 4cm long. Fruits are edible but not particularly tasty

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H4
Drought Resistance
Yes

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Passifloraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Climbing
Genus
Passiflora are mostly tender tendril-climbing shrubs, with simple or palmately-lobed, generally evergreen leaves and showy flowers of distinctive structure with often colourful coronal filaments, followed by conspicuous fruits, edible in some species
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
S America

How to Grow

Cultivation

Fast-growing climber for sun or partial shade, with shelter. Thrives in moist but well-drained soil and has the potential to become a nuisance if not managed well. In cold areas, grow in a container and overwinter in a conservatory or greenhouse. See passion flower cultivation for more information

Propagation

Propagate by seed, semi-hardwood cuttings or by layering in spring or autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Sub-tropical
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Wall side borders
  • Edible fruit

Pruning

Pruning group 11 or pruning group 12 if necessary, in early spring

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse whitefly, mealybugs and scale insects under glass

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely) and a virus