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Category: General gardening topics

My guide to growing passion flowers in pots and containers both hardy and tender passion flowers indoors and outdoors
Growing passion flowers in pots and containers

Growing passion flowers in pots and containers

Passion flowers grow quite happily in pots and other containers and it’s a great alternative for those who can’t plant them in the ground or those who want to grow some of the more tender varieties in greenhouses and conservatories. Another advantage is planting them in this limited space stops them from getting out of hand and lets you fully control the environment they grow in, as they are notoriously vigorous. Plus, you can bring them indoors in the winter…

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Why are my passion flower leaves turning yellow or wilting
Why are my passion flower leaves turning yellow or wilting?

Why are my passion flower leaves turning yellow or wilting?

Your passion flower leaves turning yellow or wilting could be for environmental, biological or care reasons. Most of the time, it’s because there is too much or too little of particular nutrients in the soil that can cause yellow passion vine leaves. Another reason is they have Fusarium wilt which spreads in the soil and the first signs are yellowing leaves. Overwatering, as well as under-watering, can also cause the leaves to become yellow and start to wilt. Read on…

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Passion flowering not blooming is usually related to the environment which can mean not enough sun but also incorrect pruning is a big cause as well as pests.
Why are my passion flowers not blooming?

Why are my passion flowers not blooming?

The problem of your passion flowers not blooming may be due to environmental or biological factors, or because of how you’re attending to them. To give you an idea, pruning at the wrong time can remove most of the stems that produce the flowers resulting in no flowers that year. Feeding them with fertilisers that are hight in Nitrogen encourages lots of foliage growth at the expense of flowers, not enough sun can also lead to no flowers. As you…

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Passion flower problems are not that common and many relate to being planted in the wrong position or incorrect care.
Passion flower problems

Passion flower problems

Passion flower problems fall into one of three categories: environmental; biological; and your care. This article looks the variety of problems that can befall your passion flower climbers and explains what to do about each one. Environmental issues that cause passion flower problems Environmental problems include where you plant your passion flower, how much sun it gets and other situations in your garden. I have a complete article that details this. Please read Passiflora caerulea – growing and caring for…

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in this guide, I show you some of the common and not so common passion flower pests and diseases from aphids and spider mites to root rot and leaf spot disease
Passion flower pests and diseases (Passiflora)

Passion flower pests and diseases (Passiflora)

Passion flowers require relatively little care and maintenance to grow successfully. Once established, they can grow well, left virtually untouched for years. In fact, they are generally problem free with nothing more than a few aphids to worry about most of the time. However, there are a few passion flower pests and diseases that can take a liking to your passion flowers which might make an appearance, as I have found out a few times over the years. With this…

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in this guide I explain how and when I prune my passion flowers which involves lightly pruning after flowering or pruning in spring harder.
When and how to prune passion flowers

When and how to prune passion flowers

Passion flowers are low maintenance when it comes to deadheading and pruning. Just a little attention in spring or after flowering is all that’s needed to prune passion flowers. For most people, just a light pruning after flowering in summer is all that is needed. I like like to lightly prune my passion flowers after flowering to within two shoots of last year’s foliage. You can learn more about this and hard pruning for rejuvinare passion flowers below. Deadheading passion flowers…

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Learn how to grow lupins from seed from collecting seeds to planting and over wintering them and planting out.
How to grow lupins from seed – step by step

How to grow lupins from seed – step by step

Propagating lupins from seeds and cuttings, along with dividing them, are the three ways to make the most of your lupin production. I cover taking cuttings in the article Propagating lupins by taking cuttings. I haven’t covered dividing lupins as it’s extremely difficult to do successfully due to the plant’s long tap root. Seeds are a great way to grow lupins from seeds you have collected, or you can purchase them from garden centres and nurseries. Read on to learn…

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Lupins are generally problem free but the two most common pests that eat Lupins are slugs/snails and lupin aphids. Learn how to identify and control them
What’s eating your lupins and how to stop them?

What’s eating your lupins and how to stop them?

I’ve been growing Lupins for over 20 years and, unfortunately, am no stranger to the pests that will take a liking to your Lupins. Generally, Lupins don’t seem to suffer too badly from pests and diseases. However, the two main culprits are slugs/snails (which I class as 1 pest), which usually take a liking to new foliage but will also attack older foliage as shown in my main picture above. The other pests that I tackle on a yearly basis…

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How and when to prune lupins to get more flowers and for winter
When and how to cut back and prune lupins?

When and how to cut back and prune lupins?

As well as pruning, deadheading lupins is an important key to keeping your plants successfully blooming over the summer. I generally deadhead as individual flowers finish flowering, and then once they stopped flowering well, I usually hard prune to ground level, which usually results in a second flush of flowers. I then usually prune back at the end of autumn to ground level to get my lupins ready for winter. Here’s how I personally deadhead and prune lupins in more…

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Many people often see my stunning lupins and ask if Lupins are perennial or annuals. The short answer is perennials, but I do grow some tender ones I treat as annuals.
Are lupins perennials or annuals?

Are lupins perennials or annuals?

Most varieties of lupins are perennials, however, there are some Lupins that are not as hardy and are usually treated as annuals. You will often see these sold in tray packs of 4 with bedding plants. So, for example, Annual lupins include the variety Lupin Avulune. The most common lupins, which include the Russell Hybrids Mixed varieties and the Band of Noble Series, are hardy perennial varieties. Most lupins grown in garden centres locally to you in single pots with…

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