Passiflora Incarnata, Purple Passionflower Care and Growth

The Maypop or passiflora incarnata is popular for its amazingly showy flowers and edible yellow egg-shaped fruit.

Like most of the members of the same genus, it is only the fruit of this woody climbing vine that is edible.

Moreover, these are extremely exotic flowers with a beautiful aroma that can fill your garden.

While its large complex flowers last only one day, they are always a center point.

They are great as small pot plants for the deck where you can appreciate their aroma.

It is a perennial wine that does well in pots where root restriction produces more flowers.

You can, however, also choose to pot them in the ground in zone 6 where it tends to die back in winter.

It is important to note that they can be a little fussy to start, but once they establish, they will take little care except for cutting back in winter.

Keep on reading.

Passiflora Incarnata

Purple passionflower, passiflora incarnata is a fast-growing ever-green and tendril-climbing vine.

Despite its tropical appearance, it is a sprawling plant that is tough and is one of the hardiest of all the passionflower species.

Moreover, it is striking, fragrant flowers are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators.

This Southeastern U.S. native has been cultivated for its orange-yellow edible fruits.

These are also known as Maypops due to the sound they make when stepped on them, by the Indigenous Americans.

They also provide a nutritious source of winter food for wildlife.

Furthermore, their foliage provides year-round interest in its hardiness zones and it tends to flower from Jun to July.

While its fruit appears from September to November.

Quick Facts about Passiflora Incarnata

Some quick facts about Passiflora incarnata are:

Passiflora Incarnata Care

This twining vine is great for growing when you have trellises, walls, or fences.

As it attaches with tendrils, it will not cause damage to the brickwork the way other plants with aerial roots like ivy can.

However, it still produces flowers even if it is sprawling rather than climbing.

If you want to encourage flower and fruit production rather than excess foliage, you can try restricting the growth of the spreading root suckers.

Moreover, growing them in containers often works well in such instances.

It is important to note that purple passionflower is a highly flammable plant, so it will not be the best choice for growing them in your home in areas at high risk for wildfires.

Learn more about Climbing Plants: 8 Best Plants and Taking Care of Them here.

Light and Soil Requirments

Purple passionflower tends to grow best in full sun.

However, it can also tolerate a part shade position.

Your plant is not much fussy when it comes to soil and tends to adapt well to most types, including extremely poor soils.

Moreover, make sure that you are providing your plant with well-drained and moist soil.

It may even get a little out of control in highly fertile soils.

Learn more about Types of Soil: Understanding your Garden Soil here.

Water, Temperature, and other Requirments

Passiflora Incarnata tends to be a climbing vine that can tolerate drought conditions, however, make sure to keep the soil consistently moist for the beast.

This will help you to appreciate the stunning blooms.

Moreover, slow, deep watering at the root level is best for these plants.

Apply a few inches of loose mulch at the roots to help the plant retain moisture especially when the conditions are dry.

Just make sure that the mulch does not press up against the plant stem.

These tropical-looking flowers tend to be cold tolerant and make sure to provide them with well-draining soil.

The roots should be hardy down to around 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the top growth dies off in such freezing temperatures, the plant tends to stay healthy if you mulch the roots.

In warmer climates, however, this evergreen will remain woody.

Furthermore, regular light feeding will help to make sure that Passiflora Incarnata blooms.

Make sure to select a fertilizer that is not too heavy in nitrogen. as growth will focus on the green foliage rather than the flowers.

Fertilize in the early spring before new growth emerges.

Once the flower appears, feed your plants once a month or more through to early fall for these heavy feeders.

Pruning Passiflora Incarnata

It is important to note that you do not need to prune purple passionflower regularly.

However, in case you intend to encourage a full, bushy appearance, and prevent your climbing vine from looking straggly, it helps to pinch back the plants in their first growing season.

Moreover, in cooler climates, you can cut back the top growth annually as the plant is treated as a herbaceous perennial rather than a woody evergreen.

As flowering tends to occur on new growth, you should prune the plant in late winter or early spring to make sure new blooms appear in abundance later in the spring.

Learn more about Pruning Tips and Techniques here.

Propagating Tips and Techniques

You can propagate purple passionflower through various methods including taking softwood stem cuttings, tip layering, and growing from seeds.

To propagate from stem cuttings, follow the steps below:

• during spring, take a 6-inch cutting from a young shoot with leaf buds or you can take woody cuttings in early summer
• remove any leaves at the base of the cutting
• put the base of the cutting in a well-draining potting mix at a depth of about 1-inch
• moisten the potting mix and cover the pot with plastic with some air holes
• keep the plant warm, moist, and out of direct, intense sunlight
• it often takes a few weeks for the cutting to start rooting
• once the roots take hold, you can transplant it to its outdoor location

In case you want to create a new plant in the same location as the original, you can try propagating your plant by tip layering.

This will involve bending a stem of the existing plant to the ground, covering it in soil, and waiting to see to a new shoot develops.

They this method in late summer or early fall, and follow the tips below that can help maximize the chances of success.

• before bending the vine tip into the soil, remove any leaves and nodes for a smooth finish
• the foliage that you bury in the soil, however, can lead to bacterial problems
• make a dip in the soil, place the tip in that space and cover it with the soil
• you may need to weigh down the tip with a small rock or garden anchor tip to stop it from popping up and losing contact with the soil
• when the tip is well-rooted, it should create another plant in the same place
• or you can dig it up and detach it from the original plant to transplant it to a different location

Progpagting Purple Passionflower for Seeds

You can also propagate purple passionflower from seeds, though it is a little more tricky than propagating from cuttings, and germination is slow.

It often takes 2 to 3 months but can take up to a year.

Try the steps below in late winter or early spring:

• if you are using seeds from an existing plant, you can take them from berries when they are soft, shriveled, and yellow
• mature seeds tend to be brown and the best chance of germination is when you sow them immediately after picking
• clean and soak the seeds in warm water for 12 to 24 hours, floating seeds are viable and you will need to discard them
• sow on the surface of a damp potting mix
• put the pot in a plastic bag to seal in the moisture
• keep the seeds out of direct sunlight while waiting on leaves to appear
• grow lights and a consistently warm temperature during this time tends to increase the chance of successful germination
• when seedlings are large enough to handle, you can prick them and put them in individual pots
• seedlings benefit when you keep them in a warm environment for the first winter, before planting them out right after the last frost in late spring or early summer
• then harden off the plant for around two weeks before transplanting it to the permanent position
• you can sow the seeds directly in their outdoor location if temperatures stay above 55 degrees Fahrenheit

Potting and Repotting Passiflora Incarnata

As passiflora incarnate is a heavy feeder, even with fertilizers that plant will exhaust the nutrients in the pot after a few years.

At this point, it is ideal to repot in a container at least a few inches bigger than the current one.

Make sure that the pot you are using has good drainage holes.

And that the medium you use is fertile and well-drained.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

One of the things that make passiflora incarnata a favorite among gardeners is that it is moderately resistant to dears, pests, and diseases.

However, certain pests like:

• scale insects
• spider mites
• white flies

These can be a problem in humid and warm climates

Moreover, root rot can be an issue if your plant is in soil with poor drainage.

Getting Passiflora Incarnata to Bloom

The exotic, fragrant summer blooms tend to be around 1 to 3 inches wide and often bloom only for a day of purple passionflower.

Loose, hanging vines are more likely to produce blooms.

Thus, do not try to train your plant too formally.

As these plants are heavy feeders, if you do not get the nutrient levels right, you may be disappointed by how many bloom appear.