Elaine,

Wow, the passiflora quadrangularis is lovely, so unique! I only have the P. caerulea that's a monster - it has suckers.
Did you grow it from seeds? I'm looking for some red passi seeds...

Tiffany, I had the maypop and the cats were eating the leaves so my son and I got one in jar with leaves and sticks; we got to see it transfer from cocoon to butterfly - it was the most fascinating sight to see - we just caught it in time to see the change!
Totally amazing! My son was young so he was enthralled by it.

Thanks, Betsy. I bought a started plant of the P. quad several years ago and have started cuttings of it from the original.

I do love those huge purple flowers, but I really wanted to grow the big, yellow fruit. Its common name in the Caribbean is "Giant Granadilla" and the fruits are supposed to get as big as a football! But sad to say, I've never yet had a flower set a fruit.

Elaine,

Several years ago the neighbor behind me planted a passion vine on the back fence between us (he was from Columbia and planted it for the fruit). He told me to enjoy any fruit on my side. But the vine wasn't setting any fruit, and I really wanted to try them. I decided to try and help nature along.

So most every night when I got home from work, I went to the back fence and wiggled my fingers around in the middle of the flowers I could reach (it was an 8' fence). It was working. A few weeks later he was working near the back of his property so I called him back to the fence. I couldn't see any fruit on his side so asked if he was having any luck with the vine he had planted up near his house. He was not.

I pointed out all the developing fruit on my side of the fence and explained what I had been doing. So he started playing pollinator on the vine up by his house and got as much fruit as he wanted from that one vine.

So maybe it will work for you. Worth a try!

Ah ha, Ron Thanks! I did try pollinating a couple of the flowers on the P.quad last spring with a little paintbrush to no avail. Now, the vine has climbed up into my big stand of bamboo, so most of the flowers are at least 15ft. off the ground. I'll definitely try your pollinating method on any flowers that I see lower down.

I get tons of fruit from the other 'normal' passionvine, the little purple ones. I also share them with my neighbor over the fence since the vine is galloping along the fence between our yards. He gets a lot more fruit than I do because he has a dog that chases away the squirrels and raccoons that eat the fruit on my side. Oh well, I get enough to add to my morning juice for most of the summer, and to perk up the mango sorbet too. Mmmm.

Couple of different Nun's orchids opened up this week.


Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi' putting on another flush of bloom. Look at all those fat buds!


Down here, some people say they "miss daffodils and tulips" but I just don't get it when Amaryllis are what we get for spring bulbs instead! This one was hiding under one of my big potted brugs.

Elaine,
I'm with on the Daff's and Tulips. I won't trade being that cold for them. And we can leave the Ammy's in the ground year round.

I have more P. quadrangularis in bloom today. This one had to announce its presence by the scent, as it was down by my knees! The 'twins' were up over my head, though.



This one's way up in the bamboo, about 15ft. up. You can barely make it out in the second shot, upper left corner. Some critter had a taste for a flower . . .

Still not missing the tulips and daffs . . Amaryllis 'Bogota'. Cool rainy weather and cool temps the next couple of days will make them last longer, too!

Same weather here...tho we need the rain.

noid Amaryllis blooming here also.

That looks like 'Apple Blossom'

The Nun's orchids have been putting on a show here. Last shot is the species Phaius tankervillea with spent blooms, but making seed pods

Finally I have some Heliconias starting to bloom, too!

My cartoon Caladiums 'Scarlett O'Hara' and my favorite just starting 'Gingerland'.