Wasn't sure whether to post this on Tropicals or Climbers....the Passion Flower my sis brought me is blooming. It is only about a foot high and it has one bloom and six buds on it. I think it likes me.
Passaflora
one of the prettiest vines i have there wonderful
They are pretty. Be careful. They are 'host' plants for butterflies--i..e they attract caterpillars.
Jerry,
That is gorgeous! I love the blue!
I've got some Thurcide (sp?) on the way. It is supposed to be here Tuesday at the latest. I looked at a couple of places locally and could not find any....so, rahter than spend all day trekking from garden store to garden store (and every WalMart, Home Depot and Lowe's in between), I just ordered some online. My sis swears by this product for Passion Flowers and Cannas. She says it is a bacteria that makes the beasties swell up and explode, yet is safe for pets and people.
Do you think the Thurcide would keep the worms off the cannas. I love cannas, but can't keep them healthy. Please keep us posted on the product.
Ashley
Absolutely! My sis says it kills leaf rollers. She gets hers at HD or Walmart. Here is the name of the product-Bacillus Thuringiensis Thuricide. I did a websearcha dn found it on Amazon. It cost $15 including shipping.
You have to mix it right before using it. When spraying cannas, try to spray down into the curled leaves. I also spray the ground around the cannas just in case. For the passies, spray the leaves. I also use it on the top of my pond. Those darn china moths lay eggs on the lily pads and then those darn worms eat my lily pads up. Doesnt seem to hurt my fish though, just the worms.
I've got bunches of orange caterpillars on my Passion Vine. I pluck some off and throw them in the wetlands, hoping they'll survive. I let some stay, because I can live with a little damage and they turn into the prettiest orange butterflies!
If my poor old brain remembers correctly, different varieties of passiflora are hosts for different varieties of beasties. The songbirds feed on the catapillars and the ones they miss become beautiful butterflies. Often the vines do become ratty looking but I have many, many and they bloom at different times and there is usually something interesting going on that will hide the nasty looking ones.
I love the birds and butterflies so for that reason I try and stay away from BT. I am not "organic" or anything but I do try and pick my battles carefully. Leaf rollers are another case, I do them in ASAP. I have found that a systemic works better for leaf rollers around here.