Passiflora alata

as good as it will get???? looks very good to me!

The petals should be larger etc, but it's done well enough!

i like that purple fringing, bit like a lions mane or a sea creature!

Look right - Passiflora quadrangularis! That would be my ultimate!

oh wow, i can see why, quite spectacular ~ had to find another bigger picture to see the full effect!

looks not to bad Meanie, i tried to get one of those P.quadrangularis but o/h stopped play !!

Need a really big greenhouse or conservatory for that Sticki! Here's the one at OBG..............

http://bit.ly/OFt2T3

OH is a spoilsport SL - did you tell her that the fruit is rather lovely?

i can't put on here what she said :-))

oh thats fantastic!!!

i cant believe it SL

Beautiful picture Meanie

Thank you Klahanie!

That's it? LOL! :>) Just giving you a bad time, Meanie.

I'm laughing because I've never seen a passion flower only half open.

We don't have this problem here in San Diego...because it's so damned HOT!

I'm just pleased that it has bloomed! No sign of flowers on my Snail Vine again.

I guess that all you can ask for, when you have limited heat.

Snail Vines are very common here. My neighbor has one in her front and back yards. It needs full sun and some heat to flower well. I think it likes it on the dry side. I do know it's widely grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, also. So, it doesn't need a tremendous amount of heat.

I'm convinced that the biggest problem this year has been the cool/cold nights. The difference has often been in the region of 50% (ie;20°c to 10°c at night)!

yesterday morning i drove to work ~ it was 4 degrees, by the time i drove home [8 hours later] it was 16 and got even warmer by the afternoon!!

Meanie:

Yes, big differences during day and night temps can cause the flower buds to drop. I think it's the cool temps at night which is really affecting bud development.

The high temps here (this week) have been mostly 88ºF (31ºC) and the low temps (which only last about 10 minutes at 6 a.m.) are around 70ºF (21ºC). I do notice my neighbor's Passion Vine is still blooming profusely.

"I think it's the cool temps at night which is really affecting bud development."

That's my thinking too................

Yes, that's what I was trying to say with all the words above. lol! :>)

I think it's incredible. Meanie you do need a heated greenhouse!!!! Just imagine what you would grow!

It's gonna need heat for what I grow already Lulu!!!

So brilliant to see it opening at last! It's stunning. Mine has temporarily (perhaps) stopped flowering but is growing like billyo. I had to put three taller canes in yesterday and the heater is now on 24/7 in there. It's so cold here now and yet, looking out of my window here, there is not a sign of autumn colour on my cherry tree (or any of my trees) yet. I don't know what is happening to our weather Keith, but I don't like it..not one bit. According to the forecast, the wind tonight is going to be so bad that the leaves may all be stripped off before they get a chance to turn at all. It has been a 'nasty mean' year for gardeners!

Thanks Karen!

I agree - it's getting too "wild" out there now. Lousy weather is one thing, but extreme weather is not what we need.

Nice looking flower, Meanie! :-))

In a small village a few miles along the road from here there is an old house that was turned into a vet clinic many years ago & there is a very old Passion flower growing all over it! It really does look good when in flower & when it's covered in deep yellow fruits!

Meanie:

Just move here to beautiful, subtropical San Diego, CA....then you don't need a greenhouse. :>)

It's so tempting as we move towards winter!

Or maybe SE Asia................

Or the Canaries maybe.............

SE Asia would definitely be much, much hotter than here in San Diego.

The Canary Islands would be closer to the temps we have here in winter. They're a little warmer in winter, though.

The nice thing about the climate in the Canaries is that it a reasonably flat line all year round.

Yes, it's kind of like here. The climate is subtropical...however, the Canaries are milder than here. Because of lower latitude and being islands, of course.

We have a cousin who lives in the Canary Islands - his wife comes from there while he is from Madrid. Couldn't be two extremes more different, while the centre of Spain is extremely hot for a couple of months in the summer, (think into the 40sC), & pretty cold the rest of the year, where they live in the Canaries it is much warmer most of the year but can be suffocating when there is a total absence of wind for weeks at a time. They also tend to get low cloud cover that makes them feel they are locked up in an oven! It's by no means "Paradise" & they are trying to sell their house to move back to Madrid!

I've spent a lot of time in Las Palmas at all times of the year and must say that the climate agrees with me Balcony!

Meanie:

It really sounds like you need to move to a tropical or subtropical climate. Then, you will be able to grow all your plants outside very well (just like me) lol!

Need to retire first!

Logical.

Yes, that makes sense. :>)

Just the way that it is!

Unfortunately, that's reality!

It's a pain isn't it!

You're not kidding!!!

Delonix it would not be half so interesting if we could grow all these unusual plants over here, the exciting part to me is the challenge it sets us.......

I'm with DD on that!

I completely understand. Believe-it-or-not, it's the same here. We try many plants from the deep tropics which are a huge challenge to grow here. Many people try these plants...some make it, others don't.

The plant I have right now which is growing so well is Allamanda 'Cherries Jubilee', not sure if it's hardy here...I'll find out in January.

Good luck with that one Delonix....

DD2:

Thanks! I'm hoping it'll be okay during winter. There's one in Balboa Park which is doing quite well for a couple of years, so far. This plant grows very well in south Florida and Hawai'i.