Passiflora alata in bud

My first buds on this Passiflora...

One of the smaller buds lower on the plant...

Now all I can think is "Open, open, open" hehe:-)

How exciting!! I have a vine from a generous soul here, and the thing is darn near 10 feet tall, with no signs of a bud yet. Please post pictures when it opens!

I've had this one a few years ago and it never did bloom for me. I was so disappointed. Shelly, is your vine from seed? I've been told that most won't bloom the first year. I still have a purchased vine that hasn't bloomed yet. Soon it will have to be cut back to bring inside. Guess there is always next year.

Shelly, Brugie, I got mine last September from Logee's. It grew fast up until late Nov. when I brought it in, but it stayed green through the winter and was put back out in March.

A picture of the entire plant is below. (Please excuse the unnatractive house in the background, which thankfully is soon to be torn down.) I kept twining it around the wire mesh cage that's in the pot with it, but eventually it went where it wanted to, up in the sad Delonix tree next to it mostly. It seems to be only the free "flopping" shoots that have buds, 23 buds to be exact:-D

That will sure be a site to see! How fun!

The vine when I got it was about 3 feet tall. I have no problem over wintering it.. lol as long as it doesnt keep growing the way it is. I really hope to see a bloom soon. Glad to know that I shouldnt expect too much this year. ;o)

Great looking plant. That is some serious green there. I probably wouldn't complain if I had one that grew that well, blooms or not. Thanks for the pictures.

Indie did you have my nancy garrison thread watched ? I had something to show you! I hope my alata is doing the same thing.I gave it a shot of 10-52-10 . We will see. The weather is getting cooler this next week.

My vine put out a few flowers in late July. I was surprised to see them because this same vine bloomed in the fall of last year in late September and all of October. It got a little cooler for a spell so maybe it was tricked into believing that is was fall. I think it likes to bloom when the weather cools down. Here's mine:

Indigoez, I forgot to ask you whether your Delonix regia is planted in the ground and how old it is. I have a seedling which is about three feet tall, and I'm wondering if it can stay outside this winter. Thanks!

Hey Clare, the Delonix is in a large pot, and it is quite unhappy this year. Last year after nearly dying over the winter, it came back and rooted into the ground through the drainage holes, but of course, had to be dug loose to get put on the patio over the next winter. It hasn't escaped the pot this year, and I think that's why it looks so sad. It's only put out maybe 4-5 inches of growth, and the leaves haven't reached the grand size they did before. It's in one of those home depot mall-sized pots already, and I don't know what else I could possibly put it in that's bigger.

It's five years old btw... I started it from seed. It had one sibling that I planted in the ground, just to see what would happen. The first winter when it was less that three feet tall, it was easy to cover, but by the 2nd winter, it was taller than the house and despite my best old sheets and plastic drop cloth wrapping (applied to it from a ladder, and the roof. Yes, I'm that nuts), it died. They seem to have very little tolerance of cold at all, which is sad considering how nice they are.

Hope yours makes it through ok this winter:-)

Indigoez, thanks so much for this valuable information. LOL! I would have done the same thing with the ladder and the drop cloth wrapping! I may still do it yet this winter if I decide to plant it in the ground. I'm in the same situation as you are with some treasured trees. I have no where to plant them, and I don't think I can find a bigger container. I think I will have to root prune and trim the top on some of them.

Thanks again. I hope yours makes it also.

Edited to add: I just looked at my Passiflora Alata "Ruby Glow," and I've got buds too! Yay!

This message was edited Aug 19, 2004 11:05 PM

I suspect that by tomorrow I will have my first bloom...

I believe you're right!

Neat!!!

Can't wait to see it too! I grew my Passi from seed last winter, so this is its first summer. It has grown like gangbusters, but no flowers yet (sob, sob).

Shirley, Passifloras usually flower in the second season from seed so don't depair. You'll get flowers for sure next year. Sometimes certain ones flower in the first year, but most flower in the second year.

Not open yet... it has to be tomorrow though:-)

The outer petals are not "sealed" to the bud anymore, but the inner ones are still shut tight:-/

This is a blue bouqet I am waiting for tomorrow!

At last, the payoff!:-)

Another one...

And another...

Last one...

Monterey, yours open yet btw?

Beautiful! Isn't the fragrance wonderful? I got a couple of flowers in August, but the majority will come in September and October for me.

I am a DADDY! When I got home today I had 5 new babies! If that is what I am going to get on my Ruby Glow WOW! This is baby Blue Bouquet

All alone am I. The bees went BEESHIERK! They would not let me get near the new flowers. Must bee heeheeheehee! something special about them.

Thank you Indigoez for posting the picture! Its beautiful! Now I know what to expect... next year. lol

Monterey.. yours is beautiful also!

Double blooms today!:-)

I have two so far STOKED!

Buds that is.

My vine is covered in buds, and one opened today:

It's hiding in there. Shhhhh!!!! don't wake it. Wait a minute! Get up! I want flowers!

I finally got a good picture of my Alata, this is one that has been hiding seems like with every flower and I didn't see it until it was beginning to close up....
I am told these are suppose to be rare, but looks like we all have one.....LOL
:o)
Dee

I think what you have is a P. x violacea. It looks like my P. Victoria

Well goes to show how much I know about it. I bought it off e-bay and thats what the guy had it tagged as.....anyway I won't argue the point because I don't know that much about the Passies and only grow a few of them.......I was just glad to see this one bloom it took it forever.....
Thanks for letting me know it may not be Alata......
:o)
Dee

Monterey is right Dee, definitely not alata, but pretty anyway:-)

I agree that it is not a P. Alata, but it doesn't quite match Monterey's P. x violacea either. The white tendrils are longer and extend out farther. It is close though and definitely a hybrid of some sort. It is pretty none the less.

Mine is a hybrid. I was going by the picture in Vanderplank's book on Passiflora, page 177.