Passiflora caerulea 'Rubra'

RHS Plant Profile

passion flower 'Rubra'

Synonyms

Passiflora caerulea rubra

Climber Wall Shrub

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A vigorous, large, semi-evergreen to evergreen climber about 10m tall, with twining tendrils and mid-green, 5-7 deeply lobed leaves. Summer flowers to 8cm in width, deep pink, with white and blue-purple coronal filaments, are followed by orange ovoid fruits 4cm long which 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
pH: Alkaline or Neutral or Acid

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: Semi evergreen, 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: Not established

How to Grow

Cultivation

Fast-growing climber for sun or partial shade, thrives in moist but well-drained soil. In cold areas, grow in a container and overwinter indoors. Has the potential to become a nuisance in some gardens due to its vigorous nature. 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
Coastal
Sub-tropical
Climber and wall shrubs
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