Passiflora Purple Haze - Passion Flower - Plant in 9cm Pot on a Cane

Perhaps one of the most beautiful and fascinating of flowering plants. Indigenous to tropical South America. Passiflora Purple Haze is hardy in most of the UK. In colder areas it will require winter protection. If you just want to get on and buy the plant skip the next paragraph! The reputed history of how the flower obtained its name is worth a few lines. Many theories relate to the naming of this plant; most of them alluding to the ""qualities"" of the fruit; however, Dr Master; a 19th century expert on Passiflora and author of Contributions to the Natural History of the Passiflorace, conjectured that the name Passiflora or Passion Flower; was originally given by the Spanish priests in South America who associated the parts of the flower with the instruments of Christ's passion: Three stigma representing the three nails; 5 anthers representing the 5 wounds; the corona representing the crown of thorns or the halo of glory; the 10 tepals representing the 10 apostles (Peter and Judas being absent) and the lobed leaves and whip like tendrils representing the hands and scourges of his persecutors. So, there you have it. Purple Haze has large, showy flowers some 75-100cm (3-4 inches) in diameter in purple-mauve, with a simply stunning dark magenta centre surrounded with a white ring. This plant is particularly attractive to butterflies and the flowers are highly fragrant. A lovely free flowering clone. Finally to answer one other commonly asked question - Yes the fruit is edible but rather bland. It is not the one you buy in shops or is made into fruit juice etc. That comes from Passiflora edulis, which is not in the slightest bit hardy! Purple Haze is an easy to grow, twining vine. Plant in full sun and a fertile, moist, free draining soil. Excellent in pots and containers. Use a good quality John Innes compost and add a 5 -6 month controlled release fertiliser for best results. If necessary, prune in spring after all danger of frost has passed.