This is a photo of my Passiflora Lavender Lady. Last year I had hundreds of butterflies on this plant. This year I need a little guidance to help it along. I am not complaining. I bought this plant for the butterflies and the butterflies have used it...LOL
Thanks,
Chuck
HEY! Somebody answer CBernard, because I just planted two at my herb garden arbor and I need to know, too!
How did this die back? Cats eat it down or cold temps or ???
I don't have Lady Lavendar Passiflora but I have heard that you can clear all the dead wood back to the ground where the green is showing. It should grow back from the roots again this year! And probably be even thicker !!!!
Thanks to both of you. Becky, it actually died back from incessant butterfly larva. As soon as I get cleared from my surgeon, I will clear out all the dead wood. Becky, a special thanks for your positive attitude.
Thanks again,
Chuck
Chuck - I hope it hears me saying ..... "grow, grow, GROW!" Say flattering things to your Passiflora when you are out in the garden working. LOL!
That's amazing that the cats literally ate the vines bare. I hope it does grow back. If not, d-mail me and I will send you some seeds! :-)
That's unbelievable to me, because I had to literally whack away 3 contractor trashbags full of Passiflora vines recently because the vines were outta control on my fence. (Sheesh!) I never thought I'd see a vine eaten to the ground like that! Holy Moley! You must of had a cat invasion on your vine!!! lol
I hope your doc gives you a clean bill of health and the green light to resume your regular activities. Just don't over do it when you do get back into some of your chores such as the garden work. :-) :-)
Chuck,, hope you are all well. I have old purple passiflora vine that I got from Florida several years ago. It dies back to the roots, then sprouts in the spring. Mine is just coming back. The cats of gulf frit. eat the vines as fast as they grow... but that is why I love them.. The cats spin their cocoon on the side of our cedar house. Kind of messy,, lol
Elaine
Hi Chuck,
I'm just up the freeway about 15 minutes from you - I'm in Riverside right near the 215/60 interchange. I planted my first passion vine last year in the spring and had it chewed back to twigs by the caterpillars too. But, also like you I planted it specifically to attract the frittilarys so I didn't mind. No one would believe me that my yard was FULL of butterflies all day until I would make them come over and see - then they would be awe struck.
Anyway, my vine is on a trellis up against the back of the house and started leafing out about 3 weeks ago (maybe more - whenever we had that last warm streak). I cut back any of the old vines that were really dry - the ones that were like dry straw feeling.
It looks like your vine is a little more exposed and may have gotten a bit more of the nasty frost we had this winter. I'm sure in the next few weeks as the weather warms your plant will take off : )
I'm so enamored of this plant that I planted another on the other side of the yard. I've already seen some frittilarys buzzing around - my boyfriend is joking that were going to have to do some butterfly birth control. I say the more the merrier!
I'm so completely crazy about this plant and the butterflies I tell everyone about it - people at work, the nurses that give me allergy shots, the cashier at the grocery store, and on and on. I think most people think I'm out of my gourd (half right LOL). But I know what all the Moms in my life are getting this year for mothers day ; )
-Beth
Hi Chuck,
I don't have 'Lavender Lady' but I have 'Incense'. Last year, it grew so nicely and covered a pretty big trellis (8' x 8' ). Around early to mid summer I noticed the GF cats on it and letthem just eat away. Eventually, I saw the butterflies laying their eggs and more cats. Then, in a period of three days, the entire vine was devoured. Honestly, I thought the plant was dead and wouldn't come back.
This is a night picture but I'm amazed. I've had over 10 blooms a day for a two week period and many more are coming. I guess this plant knows it has babies to feed.
I with Beth - I too am so in love with the passies. I have a 'Lady Margaret' and 'Blue Bouquet' in the back. My Lady Margaret is also blooming profusely. Lovely, lovely plant and such a good provider.
Good luck to you.
Cool. But I think maybe you need a second plant! I have lots of passies, so I don't have that problem. They try their best to eat it all, but never can...although sometimes I have to move the cats to another plant!
Linda,
How far apart do you plant your passies? I have 2 in the front yard and three in the back but they're not planted close to one another. Are yours planted side by side?
I'm really curious! Maybe I can have them without the trellis looking devasted in another few months.
Kristi
Linda, I tried a second passie. However, the cats ate it before it was three feet long on the main branch. Now it is surrounded by snapdragons that I am going to have to do something with.
Beth, Actually the original passie had cats on it during the freeze we had last winter. They disappeared...I don' t know where unless they pupated early. The plant looked like it does now where there was a little green at the bottom. It died back and as the weather has been slowly getting warmer, the small green branches at the bottom is back.
Thanks,
Chuck
Chuck and everyone - Just a suggestion .....
You might want to put some light-weight netting over the new growth to keep the butterflies off it until it gets much thicker and larger. Just an idea. I have 12 Passion Vine plants all around my backyard fence. I have had the cats eat down one vine to the ground, but I did move them to some of the other vines. They were all grown from seeds from one single PV fruit. And like I said, I had to literally whack away at 6 of the vines recently because they were huge!!! They grow so fast!!!
If you get that many, plant more seeds!!!!
Kristi, I tried to keep them in different areas of the yeard. But there are inevitably new sprouts from the mother plant, so there are still clusters of passies together in the same area.
Hi! Everybody, The doctor this morning okayed me for driving and light gardening. What could be lighter gardening than pulling 'straw' vines off a trellis...LOL. After I did this, I gave the surrounding soil an additive. Then I finished up with a generous dose of fish emulsion. This should do the trick but just in case, does anyone know where you would get light netting. A sporting goods store, a fabric shop, a military surplus outlet? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
The photo above was taken on Easter morning. There had been little change up to today. However, there were three GF cats on the vine. Does that beat all?
Thanks,
Chuck
Chuck - Check a fabric shop and look at "tulle" netting which might work. Probably cheaper than actually buying a "net" of some sort. And it's very lightweight so won't smother the newly emerging vines and leaves. :-) You could stake it into the ground on the corners.
There is hope. this beast , a caerula, (excuse the pic, I just shot it in the dark) was a seedling that grew to the size of a volkswagon last year in a 5 gal pot. It froze back to its rather substantial stem. I just hacked it and moved it to this pot and voila it is starting to bloom already. It will never, ever go into the ground.Unfortunately, not all of the passies survived the frost. It will be a lean year for the frits I'm afraid.
frogsrus, how cold did it get? My P. caerulea never lost its leaves last winter, even when it got down to 20°. Of course, mine is in the ground, but it shouldn't matter much.
Neither did mine, Linda..
Stayed green all winter, although I took some measures to cover here in FW... P. caerulea is definatly hardy here!
High 20's. I wonder if the difference could be in the average temps. I do not usually get a significant frost here-certainly not for days at a time like this winter so my plants are not used to the stress. The leaves on my father's vines (Zone 9a) seem to have heavier leaves than mine. P. Caerulea is bouncing back all over the garden. P belottii is on the mend as well but my fancy passiflora from zoztropz are all gone :-( Even a brug that had been several years in the ground with a substantial trunk did not make it and it was more sheltered than the others. The carpenter bees are waiting patiently in the lavenders for the passi to bloom. They do love them. I usually have lots of brugs and passiflora this time of year for the bees but they have had to content themselves with other plants.
Chuck!
I'm glad your Dr. gave you the OK. Nothing makes me feel better than being in my garden. I'm not sure what type of Passionvine you have but the one that is almost invasive in my zone is P. incarnata. It's widely available from nurseries. Maybe Becky has that one...
Have fun & take it easy!
~Adrienne
PS Chuck, if you want one of these. I would be happy to pot you u one of the copious babies in my garden and bring it to the RU. The frits love it!!
My vines were all cut back. I am trying to root 3 pieces. So far it's not working. I do have a few seeds left (which I received from Deb.) LMK if you would like some.
I found seeds for Passiflora caerulea, (hardy Blue Crown), at Target. Check the garden section if you have one near you. I am thinking the seeds for them will germinate really well, because they are packaged having already been scarified ready to plant. I am out of P. incarnata, but Becky :-) has some. I am doing 3 kinds this year so to keep up with those wiley frits..
Deb
