Passionflowers with mauve and violet flowers

Passionflower 'Fata Confetto' - Passiflora x incarnata

Passionflower ‘Fata Confetto’ is a remarkable hybrid derived from Passiflora x incarnata, developed in 2006 by Italian breeder Maurizio Vecchia. This variety, resulting from a cross between Passiflora ‘Guglielmo Betto’ and Passiflora cincinnata ‘Dark Pollen’, is notable for its large, fragrant violet flowers and orange-yellow, ovoid fruits that are tasty and sweet when ripe.

‘Fata Confetto’ tolerates temperatures down to -12 °C, but requires protection from cold and damp in its early years.

The twining stems of this passionflower, which can reach 3 m in height in a single season, bear glabrous leaves divided into three lobes, mid-green with pale yellow veins. Flowering lasts from June to October, with each stem able to carry up to 10 pleasantly fragrant flowers 8 cm in diameter, composed of greenish creamy-white tepals with a crown of curly violet filaments streaked with white. The centre of the flower is occupied by 5 striped stamens with yellow anthers and 3 styles likewise striped with mauve.

Useful for dressing walls, fences and other supports, when paired with evergreen climbers or winter-flowering plants it helps create a living display all year round. It adds a whimsical touch to an evergreen hedge.

Passionflower - Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata, or common passionflower, is the species used in phytotherapy for its medicinal properties, beyond its ornamental qualities. Its pale mauve flowers, pleasantly scented, crowned with frilled filaments, bloom from summer to autumn and produce green fruits that become yellow at ripeness, edible and with a pleasant flavour.

Hardy down to -10 to -12°C, Passiflora incarnata requires well‑drained soil, a warm summer exposure for optimal flowering and dry soil in winter, in other words very well drained. It attaches to its support using tendrils and can reach a height of 3 to 4 metres in a single season. Glabrous, glossy dark green leaves are deciduous after frost. Flowering sometimes continues until December in favourable climatic conditions.

This voluble liana is ideal for adorning walls, fences and trellises. Passionflower fruits, as well as being decorative, invite tasting with their unique flavour. This passionflower requires presence of a second individual to set fruit.

Passionflower 'Violacea' or 'Amethyst' - Passiflora Violacea

Passionflower ‘Violacea‘, also known as P. ‘Amethyst’, is one of the oldest horticultural passionflower hybrids, created in 1824 by French botanist Loiseleur-Deslongchamps. This hybrid, the result of a cross between Passiflora caerulea from South America and the Brazilian Passiflora racemosa, is renowned for its robustness and frost hardiness. It has received an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

‘Violacea’ is notable for its medium-sized flowers of intense mauve-violet, with a crown of filaments sometimes striated with white or black and a creamy greenish centre, lightly scented and occasionally producing a few hollow fruits. Flowering lasts from summer to early autumn, with flowers 5 to 6 cm in diameter produced continuously.

It reaches 4 m in height and spreads to 3 m, attaching itself by means of tendrils. Its square stems bear leaves divided into 3 to 5 ovate lobes, glossy dark green, sometimes coppery, and are more or less evergreen. The rare fruits, oval and orange at maturity, are often hollow and of little interest.

Easy to grow, Passiflora ‘Violacea’ thrives in a well-drained, light and reasonably deep soil and prefers a sunny, sheltered position. Pruning after flowering helps maintain an attractive habit. It is suited to southern and Atlantic regions and to all regions where temperature does not fall below -8°C.

Passionflower 'Eden'

Passiflora ‘Eden’ is an elegant hybrid with mauve-violet flowers. Reaching up to 4 metres in height, it has deeply lobed, glossy dark green leaves that set off its spectacular flowers.

Resulting from a cross between Passiflora caerulea and P. ‘Amethyst’, ‘Eden’ produces flowers largely reminiscent of ‘Amethyst’, with bluish filaments on a deep purple centre, and green stamens arranged in a star around three purple-violet stigmas. These striking flowers, measuring 10 to 15 cm in diameter, bloom from summer to autumn and are followed by decorative orange-yellow fruits that are not edible.

Moderately hardy, Passiflora ‘Eden’ is suited to in-ground cultivation only in the mildest regions. Elsewhere, it is ideal in a container on a terrace or balcony, where it can be overwintered in a cool, bright place. This passionflower can withstand brief periods of frost down to -5 °C to -8 °C if its stump is well protected.

For cultivation, Eden prefers a neutral to slightly acidic, fresh and well-drained soil, and benefits from regular watering in summer, especially in Mediterranean climates. In the ground, it thrives in a sunny, sheltered position and can be trained against fences or trellises to maximise visual impact. In a container, it can be pruned to control its size.

Passionflower 'Incense'

Passiflora ‘Incense’, obtained in Florida, USA, in 1973, is the result of cross-breeding between Passiflora incarnata, cold-hardy, and P. cincinnata, more tender with contrasting flowers.

The flowers of Passiflora ‘Incense’ are well scented and remarkable for their intense mauve-violet colour with a sharply contrasting centre and blue-violet filaments. They bloom from spring to autumn and attract a myriad of butterflies, creating a dynamic visual display. The resulting fruits are oval, green-yellow, edible and particularly fragrant.

This voluble plant can reach up to 5 metres in height, clinging to its support by tendrils. The hardiness of this passionflower allows it to survive temperatures down to -8 °C, although precautions are necessary to protect the stump during cold winters.

Despite its resilience, Passiflora ‘Incense’ may carry a virus which, although not very harmful to itself, can affect other more fragile passionflowers. It is therefore advisable to grow it separately, monitor aphids and disinfect pruning tools used.

Passionflower 'Purple Passion'

Passiflora ‘Purple Passion’ was introduced to the market in 2009 by Dutch horticulturists. This climbing plant reaches up to 7 metres in height, making it an ideal solution for screening unsightly wire fencing or other unattractive boundaries.

Its large, deep mauve flowers, adorned with purple filaments and centred by four green stamens, are slightly fragrant and measure around 6 cm in diameter. Although the oval fruits of this passionflower are edible, they are more notable for their orange colour than for their flavour, having a reddish pulp that is low in sugar and not very aromatic.

Mainly suited to southern and Atlantic regions, Passiflora ‘Purple Passion’ can survive temperatures down to -5 °C. It thrives in rich, moist, well-drained soil, in full sun and sheltered from wind. In cooler climates, it is preferable to grow it in a large pot so it can be brought indoors for the winter.

Ideal for adorning walls, fences, wire mesh, porches and trellises, Passiflora ‘Purple Passion’ is also an excellent choice for conservatories, where it can overwinter without damage, bringing a touch of exoticism and colour even during the coldest months. Pruning, carried out at the end of flowering, helps maintain an attractive, compact habit.

Passionflower 'Impératrice Eugénie'

Passiflora x belotii ‘Impératrice Eugénie’, a hybrid between hardy Passiflora caerulea and delicate Passiflora alata from the Amazon, is a climbing plant that can reach 4 to 5 metres in height on a trellis. It produces trilobed leaves, deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on frost, and above all magnificent flowers in shades of white, pink, mauve and violet. These flowers, 10 to 12 cm in diameter, have a first crown of cream-white sepals, followed by slightly mauve pink petals and a third crown of mauve‑violet filaments, surrounding yellow stamens and yellow‑green stigmas.

Not very hardy, this passionflower only survives in the ground in the mildest climates, where temperatures rarely fall below -5 °C. In colder regions, it is ideal as a conservatory or greenhouse plant, where it can be grown in a container to control its size.

In mild climates, Passiflora ‘Impératrice Eugénie’ is used to adorn walls, fences and trellises. In colder areas, this passionflower brings an unparalleled touch of exoticism when sheltered over winter in an unheated conservatory, thereby providing continuous flowering and attractive foliage throughout the year.