Passiflora, as the passion flower is botanically called, has its home in the tropical and subtropical climate zones of the South American continent. Nevertheless, it is quite insensitive to the temperatures prevailing here and blooms profusely as long as it has a sunny and protected place. However, passionflower is not hardy.
How do I properly overwinter a passion flower?
To overwinter passion flowers successfully, bring them into the house before winter in a cool, bright room at a maximum of 10°C. Reduce fertilization from August onwards, water sparingly and cut the plant back in autumn.
Bring in passionflower before winter
Some varieties, often hybrids, are considered hardy to a certain extent; However, even the breeders admit that this insensitivity does not apply to every specimen. If you have a variety that has been declared hardy, you can of course try to overwinter it outside. However, you should pack your Passiflora properly; at least the roots must be kept warm. If the upper shoots freeze off, it's not a big deal: the plant will simply sprout again the following spring. However, frozen roots inevitably lead to the death of the passion flower. It's better to be on the safe side and bring the plant into the house. Here it overwinters best in a bright and frost-free but cool room at a maximum of 10 °C.
Care in winter
If the winter is cool, reduce the care measures significantly. Reduce the fertilizer application from the beginning / middle of August and stop fertilizing completely during September. In winter the passionflower should only be watered, but much less often and not as lushly as in summer. A few yellow leaves are completely normal, but if they become more so and the plant overall appears rather stunted, check for various diseases. If necessary, water a little more (if the soil is too dry) or fertilize again. From February/March you start the full care program again - but slowly, in order to slowly prepare the passiflora for spring.
Tips & Tricks
Since passion flowers usually grow very large, you cannot avoid pruning them in autumn - otherwise the climbing plant cannot be moved to winter quarters. But don't worry: radical pruning will even make overwintering easier because the plant will then need less light.
