Passiflora Caerulea: planting, growing and caring

Presentation of Passiflora Caerulea

What light and exposure are ideal for Caerulea passionflower?

As the blue passionflower needs heat, it should be placed in the sun, but it can adapt to partial shade. Furthermore, be sure to protect it from the wind to which it is sensitive. Ideally, offer it a location at the foot of a south-facing wall.

What is the ideal temperature for Caerulea passionflower?

Quite delicate in cultivation, it is not resistant to temperatures below -12°C. It is therefore important to install it so that it is protected from cold winds in regions with harsher climates. In warmer regions, such as the south, it may grow so well that it can become invasive.

Watering the Caerulea passion flower

It is a climbing plant that resists summer drought very well, which means that once it is well established, you can avoid watering it regularly. But don’t hesitate to mulch the ground around its base, because she likes cool soils and needs it.

Ideal atmospheric humidity

When the temperature exceeds 20° and the weather is dry, the low atmospheric humidity can cause a loss of vigor, which is not necessarily a bad thing due to its invasive aspect. . However, it is a robust plant capable of adaptation.

What types of soil and soil for your Caerulea passionflower?

The blue passionflower requires installation in drained soil. When planting, it is advisable to add heather soil to the garden soil.

Planting and repotting Caerulea passion flower

• Pot : If you have opted for growing Caerulea passionflower in a pot, it is necessary to repot it as soon as its container becomes too small, such as when the roots come out through the water drainage hole. Otherwise, the plant may produce more leaves than flowers.
• In the open ground: When planting in the ground, be sure to install it near a support. She will climb it without any intervention on your part. On the other hand, it is necessary that the support be strong enough to resist the plant’s vigorous vines.

How to propagate Caerulea passionflower?

Cuttings

To take cuttings from a blue passionflower, choose the period between July and August and preferably proceed under a frame. Indeed, in summer, the heat will facilitate the development of the plant’s roots. Here’s how to do it:

• Choose several young stems. They are easily recognizable since the wood has not yet formed.
• Cut the stem, counting 3 nodes. A node is made up of a leaf and a tendril.
• Remove the leaves and plant each of the stems thus prepared in the ground. Make sure the substrate remains moist. This method allows for transplanting the following spring.

You can also take cuttings in water. The stem will quickly produce roots. You can plant your cutting in the ground as soon as the roots are about 1 centimeter long.

Serpentine layering

For this operation, choose autumn or spring. Choose the longest vine and plant it in several places. Opt for a depth of around 5 centimeters.

Between each part thus buried, that is to say between the layers, do not stretch the vine, but make it draw a curve to form the shape of a snake. Regularly pinch the stem parts between the layers so that the sap concentrates on them.

After a year, you will be able to separate the layers from each other by cutting the stem that connects them.

How to prune Caerulea passion flower?

Blue passionflower must be pruned after flowering in order to limit its development. You can then cut the branches in half. However, it is not necessary to intervene in the first years. For its size, simply use pruning shears or a hedge trimmer.

Cleaning the plant

It is an easy-to-maintain plant that only needs to be pruned once a year. Regular maintenance simply involves removing faded flowers over time to encourage the appearance of new flowers.

Caerulea Passiflora Varieties

Passionflowers are divided into more than 500 species, including the Caerulea passionflower which is the most commonly cultivated in France due to its greater hardiness compared to others. For its part, this species of passionflower comes in different varieties, each with their own particularities. Here are some examples :

• Caerulea passionflower : this is the type species.
• Passiflora Caerulea ‘Clear Sky’ : it bears more imposing flowers and a lighter color than those of the type species, but it is a little less rustic.
• Passiflora Caerulea ‘Eden’ : it is characterized by blue flowers tending to purple.
• Passiflora Caerulea ‘Pierre Pomie’ : it bears white flowers like those of the type species, but the filaments are white with a pink base.

If you wish to turn to other species of passionflower, it will be necessary to be vigilant as to their hardiness. For even more spectacular flowers, you can, for example, rely on Passiflora x victoria. But be careful, it is less hardy since it can only withstand temperatures down to -5°C.

The 6 points to remember about Caerulea passionflower

• Blue passionflower is an easy plant to grow.
• If it likes it in your garden and you live in a region where the climate remains mild all year round, it can quickly become invasive.
• It can be grown in the ground or in pots in colder regions, to be protected from frost in winter.
• It is a plant that prefers a location sheltered from a wall.
• Very aesthetic with its unusual flowering, it will add a touch of exoticism to your exterior.
• It requires little maintenance.