PASSION FLOWER VINES
i have a two fold question, first, i have a passion flower vine that is beautiful, but i see shoots coming up all over my yard, some so far away from the plant it is amazing! is there anyway to get control of this, or do we just keep mowing them over? secondly the vine has been growing on a small arbor and now the arbor is about to break into, is there a way to force a sturdier arbor underneath and tie the other arbor to it? i really don't want to transplant the vine it is pretty where it is at.
Hi,
Thanks for writing. Hardy passionflower is known for sending out suckers that pop up some distance from the main plant. There's no way to stop the plant from doing this, unfortunately. It's just the way it likes to grow.
As far as the arbor situation goes, I can't really say what's best without seeing the vine and how entangled it is. You might find it's easiest pulling or cutting the vine off the current arbor so you can replace it with a new one. I'd suggest experimenting and seeing what seems easiest to you. Depending on the type of passionflower, you may be able to cut it back considerably so you can get it off the trellis --- passionflowers are known for their fast growth.
---Justin, Senior Garden Editor, BHG.com
