Passiflora Lady Betty Myles Young- Passion Flower

The Passiflora or Passionflower 'Lady Betty Myles Young' is another beautiful novelty in passion flowers for garden ornamentation. This superb variety, capable of surviving short frosts of around -7°C/-8°C (17.6°F), produces from late spring and throughout summer 30 to 40 flowers per day of an impressive size, measuring up to 12 cm (5in), with beautiful mauve colour highlighted by a crown of filaments in a brighter blue, black at the base, white in the middle. They are slightly fragrant and give way to many decorative fruits, yellow-orange when ripe. This exotic climber is also a very vigorous and undemanding plant in terms of soil. When planted in deep, light, fertile, and not-too-dry soil, it will reach its full potential. Gardeners in more continental climates will also appreciate its ease of cultivation in pots, to be stored away during winter.

Mostly originating from the tropical zones of South America, passionflowers belong to the large family of Passifloraceae, which includes 400 species and numerous spontaneous or horticultural hybrids. 'Lady Betty Myles Young' SAVORANOVA® is one of them, obtained in the United Kingdom. This climbing plant attaches itself to its support using tendrils, reaching a minimum height of 3 meters (10 feet) with a similar spread. It is characterized by its quadrangular stems adorned with large leaves measuring up to 14.5 cm (6in) by 19 cm (8in), divided into 3 to 5 thick, deeply veined lobes. This generous mass of dark green foliage is more or less evergreen depending on the severity of the winter. Its flowering occurs from spring to autumn, sometimes all year round in very mild climates, in the form of large flowers measuring 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in) in diameter that constantly repeat on the plant. Its slightly fragrant flowers are formed of mauve petals, sometimes streaked with white, with a central crown of filaments streaked with black-violet, white, and ultramarine blue. The cream-coloured stamen is covered in yellow pollen, and the pistil is purple. The unusual shape of the flower is quite durable, where the petals and sepals curl, while the filaments' crown folds and straightens to avoid self-pollination. Once pollinated, the flowers give way to oval fruits that are very acidic, not edible, initially green and then orange when ripe, measuring up to 6.5 cm (3in) long and 4 cm (2in) wide.

This hardy Passionflower, resistant up to -7°C/-8°C (17.6°F), is not a demanding exotic plant like some orchids can be. Modern hybrids combine the robustness and hardiness of Passiflora caerulea, sometimes invasive. They grow effortlessly in rich, moist but not too dry, well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered location. Pruning at the end of flowering involves reducing the branches to maintain a beautiful habit. 'Lady Betty Myles Young' thrives in mild regions and can become as lush as the most beautiful clematis when planted in the ground. With its generous and exotic charm, the 'Lady Betty Myles Young' Passionflower is a wonderful plant for dressing up walls, fences, trellises, porches, lattice works, and hedges. It is also highly appreciated in verandas, where it will withstand cold winters without damage.