Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Passiflora
Passion fruit leaves with tendrils for my Floral Trends Design Group Glass design
Common name
Granadilla, passionflower, passion vines
Origin
Native to Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina
Varieties
It is unusual to find a passion flower for sale as a cut flower. It was very popular to use passion flowers in arrangements in the Victorian times and it is again gaining star status. Hundreds of hybrids have been named and hybridizing is currently being done extensively for cut flowers, foliage, tendrils and decorative fruit.
Colors
Pink, blue or green flowers, yellow or dark purple fruit.
Vase life
Sadly, short- the flowers last only from one to at most a few days. Fruit will shrivel and dry. The tendrils and foliage do a bit better and will last for seven to ten days in a vase.
Scent
Mild fruity fragrance or none or some smell really bad such as Passiflora foetida (stinking passionflower) that gets its name from the strong aroma emitted by damaged foliage.
Uses
Unbeatable for long, fast growing swirling and curling tendrils. Gorgeous and unusual flowers. Lush, large leaves for wrapping and covering mechanics.
Conditioning
Cut the stems at an angle and condition in warm water over night
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