Greetings, human cultivator. We are the passion flower vines, a genus of over 550 species known as *Passiflora*. To help us thrive and showcase our spectacular, otherworldly blossoms for you, please follow these core principles of our care.
We are sun-worshippers at heart. To fuel our vigorous growth and prolific flowering, we require a minimum of six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. Without it, our growth will be weak, and we will produce few, if any, blooms. Our roots demand well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. We despise having our roots sit in waterlogged earth, which quickly leads to rot. While we appreciate consistent moisture, we are not bog plants. Furthermore, we are natural climbers. You must provide us with a sturdy trellis, arbor, or fence to cling to with our tendrils. This support allows us to reach for the sun and display our flowers and fruit beautifully.
Our watering needs are a balance. We prefer a deep, thorough drink that moistens the entire root zone, followed by a period where the top inch of soil begins to dry out. This encourages our roots to grow deep and strong. Overwatering is a far greater danger to us than a brief period of drought. For nutrition, we are moderate feeders. During our active growing season (spring and summer), a monthly application of a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer or a slow-release formula will provide the energy we need for our rapid growth and flower production. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, as they will encourage an overabundance of leaves at the expense of our beautiful blooms.
Do not fear pruning us; it is a necessary conversation for our health and aesthetics. We can become quite unruly if left to our own devices. The best time for a major pruning is in late winter or early spring, just before new growth emerges. At this time, you can remove any dead, damaged, or weak stems to improve air circulation. You can also cut back previous year's growth quite hard—by about one-third to one-half—to encourage strong, new, flowering wood. Throughout the growing season, you may lightly trim us to keep our size in check and maintain a desired shape.
We are occasionally bothered by sap-sucking insects like aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. A strong spray of water from your hose is often enough to dislodge them. For more persistent issues, insecticidal soap is an effective treatment. Our greatest challenge is cold. Most of our popular varieties are only hardy in warmer climates (USDA zones 7-10). If you live in a colder region, you can grow us in a container and bring us indoors to a sunny location before the first frost, or treat us as an annual and replant each spring.
