Passiflora actinia is beautiful when in flower! The only problem for us is getting it to flower reliably.
Continued below…….
We have one specimen that has been in the ground for several years. This vine has never produced a single flower! Many places state that Passiflora actinia can take cold temperatures and this is true. We have tested it down to 19 degrees Fahrenheit. What they don’t tell you is you will never see it bloom. It is to be expected since it does grow naturally in a much warmer climate. My problem is when it is provided winter protection and supplemental lighting, it is still reluctant to bloom some years. When it does bloom, we only get flowers for about a month. What is odd is that when Passiflora actinia fails to bloom for us, Passiflora sidifolia blooms and vise versa. This is obviously due to our growing conditions since we have friends in Berkeley and San Francisco that have both species bloom for them almost year around! They also can keep their plants outdoors all year around since their climate has more moderate temperatures than we do. Amazing what a 45 minute drive can change when you are in California!
If Passiflora actinia bloomed for a longer period and bloomed reliably every year for us I would put it as one of the top on my charts. Since I do not have the luxury to live in an area where Passiflora actinia thrives, I will just have to say that it has lovely flowers, a nice fragrance, but I prefer to grow Passiflora that can perform with quite a bit more tolerance for abuse!