permaculture

["Mathew Waehner" <waehner@gmail.com>]

We haven't mentioned the medicinal uses of passionflower:  it is a gentle
calming herb.  It contains a mild MAO inhibitor, so it may interact with
psychiatric medications.

I'm growing a hybrid between the North American *P. Incarnata* and  *P.* *
cinnicata*.  This is a fairly common ornamental hybrid.
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/passiflora_incense.htm

The plant doesn't seem to mind the heat of the full sun in Central NC,
although I have more clay in my soil than it sounds like Michael has.  The
flowers are wonderful, I've used the leaves and flowers to make a gently
sedative tea.  The fruits are the size of a small lemon and very acidic.
I've only harvested about a dozen fruits from a seven foot vine, but this is
more productive and better tasting fruit than the native *P Incarnata.*

In temperate climates, I would recommend passionflowers for beauty and
medicine, fruit is a secondary benefit.




On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 2:15 PM, <Marimike6@cs.com> wrote:

> California Rare Fruit Growers has this to say about passiflora:
>
> Adaptation: The purple passion fruit is subtropical and prefers a
> frost-free
> climate. However, there are cultivars that can take temperatures into the
> upper 20's (°F) without serious damage. The plant is widely grown in
> California as
> far north as San Jose, the Monterey Bay Area and the San Franciso Bay Area.
> The vines may lose some of their leaves in cool winters. The roots often
> resprout even if the top is killed. The plant does not grow well in intense
> summer
> heat. The yellow passion fruit is tropical or near-tropical and is much
> more
> intolerant of frost. Both forms need protection from the wind. Generally,
> annual
> rainfall should be at least 35 inches. Passion fruit vines make good
> container specimens but require maintenance. They perform well indoors.
>
> http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/passionfruit.html
>
> So Keith, I think you're doing well to get anything at all to grow in
> Vermont.
>
> In the sandy, hot soils of central NC the stuff has a weedy aspect. That
> is,
> you get lots and lots of vines growing across the rest of your garden,
> pretty
> flowers and a tasteless green fruit. It spreads readily if you don't clear
> it.
> Fortunately it's shallow rooted and easy to expunge.
>
> Under local conditions (hot, dry, searing sun) it prefers full shade. And a
> lot of fertilizer. You may find up north it prefers the sun... but if your
> soil
> isn't well drained that could be a real problem. When it dies back I'd cut
> the shoots and mulch the roots.
>
> Michael
>
>
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