Blue Passion Flower
Passiflora caerulea
Blue Passion Flower
Passiflora caerulea
Ordering in autumn or winter? Many hardy exotics arrive dormant or cut back right now. This is normal, and the best time to plant.
Seasonal by nature: what to expect
- Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
- It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
- Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.
Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons
The passion flower (Passiflora caerulea) is one of the most exotic-looking climbers you can grow outdoors in Britain, yet it is surprisingly tough. Often sold simply as the blue passion flower, this passiflora caerulea earns its RHS Award of Garden Merit for the sheer drama of its blooms: flat, white-petalled stars topped with an intricate corona of blue, white and deep purple filaments, each one looking almost too elaborate to be real. They appear in a long succession from midsummer well into autumn, and in warm seasons are followed by egg-shaped orange fruits.
Why gardeners love it
- Genuinely hardy, the toughest passion flower for UK gardens (RHS H4)
- Long flowering from July to October, often dozens of blooms at once
- Vigorous, self-clinging by tendrils, perfect for covering walls and fences fast
- A magnet for bees and listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators
As a passion flower plant it is a fast, twining climber that scrambles up to 4 to 8 metres using its curling tendrils, so it is ideal for clothing a sunny wall, trellis, pergola or fence in a single season. Its semi-evergreen, deeply lobed leaves give a lush, almost tropical backdrop to the flowers.
For the best results, plant in full sun in a warm, sheltered position, ideally against a south or west-facing support. It thrives on most free-draining soils, including chalk, and copes with acid, neutral or alkaline ground, asking only for sharp drainage and protection from cold, drying winds. Water well through the first summer to establish, then it becomes pleasingly drought tolerant. A spring prune keeps it tidy and within bounds, and a winter mulch over the roots safeguards it in colder gardens, where top growth may die back before reshooting from the base.
Whether you are looking for passion flower for sale to cover an awkward fence or want a true talking-point climber, this is a rewarding, long-flowering choice. Every passiflora caerulea uk plant we send out is nursery-grown, well-rooted and carefully selected to establish quickly and reward you for years.
Hardiness & Frost
Fully hardy across most of the UK to around -10 to -15C once established (RHS H4). In cold gardens the top growth may be cut back by hard frost, but plants usually shoot again from the base in spring, so a deep dry winter mulch over the roots is worthwhile in exposed or northern spots.
Sun & Aspect
Plant in full sun for the heaviest flowering, ideally against a warm south or west-facing wall or fence. It will tolerate light or partial shade but flowers more sparsely. A sheltered position protected from cold drying winds gives the best display and the most reliable fruit.
Soil
Happy on most free-draining soils including chalk, loam and sandy ground, across acid, neutral and alkaline pH. The key requirement is sharp drainage; avoid heavy waterlogged spots. On poor soils, improve at planting with garden compost and add grit if drainage is slow.
Watering & Establishment
Water regularly through the first growing season to settle the roots, keeping the soil moist but never sodden. Once established it is fairly drought tolerant. Container-grown plants need consistent watering through summer and an occasional high-potash feed to keep flowers coming.
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Yes, the blue passion flower is the hardiest of the commonly grown passion flowers and is rated RHS H4, surviving to roughly -10 to -15C once established. In colder or exposed gardens the top growth may die back in a hard winter but usually regrows from the base in spring, especially if the roots are mulched.
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Give it a warm, sheltered, sunny spot, ideally against a south or west-facing wall, fence or sturdy trellis it can scramble up with its tendrils. Full sun produces the most flowers and the best chance of those ornamental orange fruits.
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It is a vigorous climber that can reach 4 to 8 metres in height with a spread of around 1 to 1.5 metres, climbing by tendrils. It responds very well to pruning, so you can keep it to the size of your support.
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It is semi-evergreen, holding much of its foliage through mild winters but often dropping leaves, or being cut back by frost, in colder conditions. Fresh growth reappears from spring onwards.
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The foliage and unripe fruits can cause mild stomach upset if eaten in quantity, so it is sensible to site it away from pets and children who might be tempted to nibble. The ripe orange fruits are bland and generally considered harmless in small amounts, but are not worth eating.
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Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.
It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.
If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit. -
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.
If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.
That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look. -
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.
Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.
When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.
We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box. -
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.
Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.
It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.
Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.
Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help. -
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.
During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.
That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.
The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit. Whether grown in our own nursery or sourced from trusted partner growers, every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something isn't right on arrival, we'll make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.
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