While some Passion Flowers are very tender and struggle with winter temperatures below 10°C there are a great many of very dramatic ones which will be perfectly happy with a minimum of 5°C and some which will take down to zero. If the cold is for a short period it is surprising what can make it through. Our P. racemosa ‘Buzios’ which needs a minimum of 7°C according to the books survived a greenhouse broken pane disaster on a very cold night and survived a drop to -9°C according to the thermometer. So they can surprise you. None of the following are likey to survive outside even in our mild estuary location on the North Devon coast.
‘Sue Beardshaw’ along with ‘Alwin Berger’ (see below), ‘Amethyst’ and x violacea are in my list of top passion flowers for growing in the greenhouse and bringing outside the summer, although they can stay in a sufficiently ventilated house. They are all robust, easy to grow and free flowering. This also makes them a great starting point if you’re thinking of putting together a collection. The fact that they are all stunningly beautiful is a bonus. Passiflora ‘Sue Beardshaw’ was raised by Colin Beardshaw but I have been unable to ascertain the exact cross that he used. I lost this in 2019, but had given a cutting to my mum and managed to bring enough material back all the way across the country to root 3 cuttings one of which will be flowering in the autumn of 2020. It is hardy down to about 1°C.
See above as all the comments about ‘Sue Beardshaw’ apply here too. The only difference being that this one is a hybrid of Passiflora ‘White Wedding’ and Passiflora loefgrenii ‘Iporanga’. Although it was named after a botanist, I have not been able to ascertain the breeder. Like ‘Sue Beardshaw’ this one is hardy down to about 1°C.
This cross (P. alata x P. caerulea) by William Masters dates back to 1824 and has had a number of named varieties. There is still considerable debate about whether they should all be listed under this name. More recently it has been repeated to create a slightly smaller hybrid with more bowl -shaped filaments (see P.’Perfume Passion’ below) but an equally intoxicating scent (of the kind that I call type I, and overpoweringly sweet scent which can almost make your head hurt)
See comments on x belotii above
This cross (P.quadrangularis x P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’) from E. J. AllardAt the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens in 1907 is often mistaken for x belotii especially since a number of different versions of the same cross go under the x belotii name. The easiest way to distinguish them, in my view, is by the scent. While x belotii has a very heavy almost narcotic type smell, x allardii has a much cleaner citrus type scent (which readers of Iain M Banks would know as ‘Clear Blue’)
This is a hybrid of Passiflora decaisneana with P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’. It is rare for such a cross to keep the full red colour (see similar crosses P x allardii and P x belotii). I have also found it a bit of a challenge to look after and have currently lost it sadly.
This, and the next couple, are hybrids of Passiflora gritensis which was only discovered in the 1990s but with its striking well coloured flowers and fertility, it has been much used by breeders. P. ‘Anastasia’ is P. gritensis x P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’ and is a great robust plant that can go out in summer. It needs a winter minimum of 5 degrees C.
This is P. gritensis x P. loefgrenii ‘Iporanga’ , uniting two of the superstar species of 21st century passionflower breeding. It is similar to P. ‘Anastasia’ but with a paler pinkier colour. It doesnt like strong direct sunlighht, especially over winter (needs a minimum of 5 degrees) – Breeder: Henk Wouters
Here we have P. gritensis x P.
P. ‘Byron Beauty’ x P. ‘Inspiration’ therefore ((P. edulis x P. incarnata’) x (P. incarnata x P. cincinnata))
This passionflower comes from the same sort of background as did Passiflora ‘Incense’ which appeared in the 1970s, but has fallen out of favour due to its latent virus issues and reluctance to root as a cutting. Passiflora ‘Inspiration’ along with P. ‘Temptation’ are triploid recreations of ‘Incense’ while ‘Byron Beauty’ is also a triploid hybrid.
In any case this is a stunning passionflower with what I call type three scent (a spicy variant on the heavy sweet pea sent type). In 2021 it flowered profusely all summer and is one of my top recommends for a conservatory/greenhouse passionflower, like many it can go outside for the summer. – Breeder: Dr Roland Fischer
This form of Passiflora loefgrenii from the Corupá municipality in Brazil is somewhat smaller and less showy than the form from Iporanga, 200 miles further north. Nonetheless it is very pretty, free flowering and readily sets fruit, also providing a great deal of pollen for those who fancy trying some amateur breeding. Minimum winter temperature: 5degrees C
Devon Subtropical Garden 