Passiflora 'Purple Haze'

Passiflora 'Purple Haze' is a stunning hybrid created by the Dutch hybridiser, Cor Laurens in 1993. Using a wild Brazilian clone of Passiflora caerulea as the female parent and pollen from the 'Long Peduncle' form of Passiflora amethystina he has created a passionflower with large fragrant flowers of exceptional beauty. The five pale sepals are suffused with a light violet and often a touch of green while the five petals are similarly washed with pale violet. The centre of the corona is an intense, deep, dark, velvety purple with a thin surrounding circle of white that divides it from the slightly wavy threads of the outer corona which are an intense yet bright violet. The five stamens consist of pale green filaments mottled with tiny purple spots and anthers which are green on one surface and bright yellow with pollen on the other surface. The pale greenish-yellow ovary is prominent and the three styles are heavily mottled in dark purple ending with olive-green stigmas. It is a flower of great beauty.

Passiflora 'Purple Haze' is a vigorous climber that is hardy to -8°C although it prefers to be warmer. It is ideally planted in a warm sheltered spot in the lee of a fence or wall and with a mulch of bark around its roots. In time it will probably need some cutting back.