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Wilting passion flower

laurajukFN-5HIKFlaurajukFN-5HIKF Posts: 10
in Problem solving
Hi. We’ve recently moved to a new house and there’s a large Passion flower growing on a fence. It had lots of flowers last summer when we saw it and a number of fruit. I cut off the old fruit and gave it a little trim but it’s not looking very happy. The remaining leaves have yellow spots and are dying. It’s also very straggly. We’re in Devon with a sheltered south facing garden. The fence faces east. I’m attaching photos. Any advice of what I should be doing with it. Thanks. 

Posts

  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    The 'usual' Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea) isn't fully hardy, but usually survives just fine.  It's just last year's foliage looking weather-beaten - new growth will start eventually (can be quite late with Passion Flowers), so it doesn't matter what the old leaves look like. They're very vigorous, and can be cut down as much as you like (now or soon) - the new growth will easily make it back to the old height again.

    I found Passiflora caerulea would self-seed everywhere. I'm now trying 'Purple Haze' outside (supposedly a caerulea/amethystina hybrid) - maybe slightly nicer flowers, and doesn't produce fruit for me, so won't scatter seed. I did once have one die over winter, but they've survived outside in pots for years now, so no reason not to have in the ground.
  • laurajukFN-5HIKFlaurajukFN-5HIKF Posts: 10
    Thanks. I’m wondering about tidying it up - maybe taking off some of the thin stems. Is that a good idea? Or leave it? 
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    Yes - remove any bits you fancy. It's not really any advantage to have the new growth starting high up, as it grows so quickly. I won't be trimming my 'Purple Haze' for a little while yet - some of the stems have clearly died back in the recent frosts, so just waiting for it to become clearer what's alive and what's dead. As I say, new growth on passion flowers starts rather late in the season, and then it's "mile a minute" from thereon.

    I'm sort-of assuming there are other plant(s) involved on your fence. Or do you think the entire lot is passion flower? E.g. the thing with thick stems rooted by the pond on the left, or the thick horizontal stem near the bottom of the trellis. Where does the passion flower enter the ground - at the bottom, or somewhere off to the right? Not that this matters regarding what you do with it. Cutting off dead bits or cutting back is for aesthetics, or giving it some upward space to climb into, rather than aiming to benefit the plant.
  • laurajukFN-5HIKFlaurajukFN-5HIKF Posts: 10
    The entire lot is passionflower! There’s more branches between the wall and fence.  The thick stems are the bottom where it goes into the ground. There was a small fir overhanging the pond which I’ve cut down - you can see the stumps to the left. Some of the long Passion flower stems were removed then as well. I’m guessing it’s been going a while!
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