Thursday, June 9, 2011

Plant Find: Two new Passionflowers, one in bloom

Since our family cruise over Thanksgiving last year left from Galveston, Texas I figured it would be a good opportunity to visit a nursery or two that has some tropical plants.  I did a little scouting ahead of time and asked for some recommendations from people that live in the area.  I ended up stopping at the Houston nursery of "Zone 9 Tropicals", which specializes in Gingers, Passionflowers and other flowering vines.

Christie really liked the historic neighborhood and will be happy to go back there again.  She wandered the streets while I wandered around looking at the plants.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret'
My first bloom from Passiflora 'Lady Margaret'
I purchased 5 plants in all from Zone 9, including two Passiflora.  The first is Passiflora 'Lady Margaret'.  This is one of the more popular red(ish) Passionflowers.  It is a hybrid of P. coccinea and P. incarnata.  That first parent is more of a solid red, while the hybrid 'Lady Margaret' is a wine red.  You can see the influence of P. incarnata in the wavy tendrils.  Passiflora incarnata has very long, wavy tendrils.

p_batwing
Passiflora 'Sunburst' leaves in the signature "batwing" shape.
The second is Passiflora 'Sunburst'. This is a hybrid of P. gilbertiana and P. jorullensis.  The small flowers have incredible colors and apparently smell like turpentine.  The leaves of this plant are also very unique.  Since mine hasn't bloomed yet, I am just enjoying the leaves.  I need to get this one put on a trellis.  For now, it is growing in the greenhouse, kind of laying up against the bark wall, but not really attaching to anything and not getting as much light as it would probably prefer.

p_batwing_under
Underside of Passiflora 'Sunburst' leaves.
Neither of these Passifloras are hardy in my zone 7a region, so I will need to overwinter them in the greenhouse.  I'm hoping I can get my 'Sunburst' to bloom this summer.

2 comments:

  1. Love "Maggie"----she is gorgeous! :)

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  2. I love batwing passionflowers. I want them alllllllll

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