Passionflower - trouble or no?

Hello! I joined the forum a while ago but this is my first post, so hi, all!

I am seeking some advice about growing Passionflower, aka Maypop, Passiflora incarnata. I am in Washington DC, which is Zone 7a. I have been interested in growing Passionflower for a variety of reasons- the flowers are beautiful, I love its medicinal properties, and butterflies love it.

I ordered a little Passionflower plant which should arrive in a couple of weeks, which I had planned to plant in my community garden plot. However, since then I have been reading more about it and I got worried that I might be getting into trouble! I knew it could be an aggressive grower but I also know it's native, so I thought it couldn't be that bad. But from some of the things I'm reading, this plant takes over everything quickly and is practically impossible to control. I only have a small community garden plot and I don't want this plant taking over my plot or everyone else's.

Would it be better for me to NOT plant this? Or am I being overly cautious? Thanks for any advice!

I planted one a few years ago and encourage it grow on my fence. It sprouts around the yard here and there, but the caterpillars and lawn mower keep it from getting out of hand. It dies back to the ground every winter and I'm in south Louisiana. I think you're too far north to get help from the fritillary caterpillars, but winter should beat it back every year.

It grows wild here and about one year in five or more, the weather is "just right" so it explodes everywhere.  Vines go up trees and spread through abandoned pasture, mix with blackberry brambles, et cetera.

But, you know, that's just fast-growing vines.  They aren't tough; you can trim 'em back with kitchen scissors.  (Well, hand shears would be easier, true.)  

They always come back in the same vicinity but not usually in the same place.  But they aren't hard to control.  

Can't speak to your climate zone, but here, where they are native, they really aren't a problem.  I always want more of them than I find.

Passionflower is one of the things I can't keep alive! I grow some from seed every year, and I've bought loads of plants over the years- but I am still passionflower-less.

I would agree, they are fast but not that fast- we're not talking chayote or kudzu! Even here in zone 9b they lose their leaves and tend to go dormant for the winter.

Could you tell me more about how you use them medicinally? I only know the basic (leaves for anxiety and insomnia) but would love to learn more. Thanks!

Charli, do you know what species you are planting?  There are at least a few different species with very different requirements.

I have used it to provide shade/shelter on a chain link dog kennel converted to a pigeon loft, and have had good results. While it will die down to the ground in winter, it's so vigorous that it covers one side and the wire half of the roof by early summer. It is definitely strong enough to out compete the wisteria I planted at the same time, for the same purpose.
With that said, though, it's easy to manage. When it starts to get too heavy and the wire begins to say, I just cut/rip parts of it off. If it sends out the little runners underground and pops up in a place I don't want it, it only takes a couple of minutes to cut/yank it up.

The flowers are gorgeous and the fruit is loved by my poultry.

Ken W Wilson wrote:Charli, do you know what species you are planting?  There are at least a few different species with very different requirements.

I've tried passiflora incarnata, passiflora edulis and passiflora alata. Edulis is the one I see most often in the UK, alata was never going to survive winter here but was pretty!

I've got an incarnata to go into the greenhouse this year- there's an organic garden down the road that grows it in a polytunnel, and its one I got from them- so hopefully it will overwinter!

I planted a Maypop two years ago (seeding purchased from Logee's).

First year (2019), we got a handful of fruits, but they fruited late and did not ripen before frost hit. I think one had some pulp. I thought maybe it needed a polination partner (conflicting info on whether or not it's needed). So I ordered another seedling and planted it in the fall. No suckers the first year.

Second year (2020), our first plant came back after the beginning of summer. The second planting got bit by rabbit or rodent after emerging, and struggled most of the year. I think it had a few leaves on it all year. A few suckers here and there toward the end of the growing season. We ate these, because they are super tasty.

Third year (2021), a new growth appeared about 2 meters from the original planting. We got lots of rain in the spring and it really thrived. But I didn't go into the garden much because of the weather. But it's like Summer of the Triffids out there. Maypop suckers are coming up everywhere in a 3m radius from the original plant. I'm not even sure if the second planting came back or not (I think so). On the plus side we got many fruits and they taste like green-apple Jolly Ranchers with varying degrees of sweetness.

We pick and eat the suckers whenever we go in the garden, but they're really everywhere.

This plant is quite an aggressive grower, so I keep mine in pots. I have a large planter on either side of a large trellis, and my Passiflora incarnata vines climb over the entire structure every summer. Since I'm in zone 4b, I just cut the vines back every October and keep the pots indoors until the following spring.

I consider it a Goldilocks plant here in zone 5b. Strong and drought resistant enough to put on a show, but not unmanageable since it dies back to the ground in winter and doesn’t harm what it climbs on. This plant started as a single shoot division in summer 2019, so here it is 2 summers later.
I was a little concerned when I saw shoots popping up 6 feet out in the lawn and up through the porch decking but I’ll just dig or pull them next year and set it loose in other spots where it can be controlled by the mower.

If you dont want the passiflora to get away from you, id suggest that you put it in a large container on cement,stone or even plastic  so it doesnt send its roots out the water holes of it's container and into the ground. passiflora is a beautiful vine it has enchanting exotic looking flowers and some having fruit thats edible. you just have to decide if you put it in the ground  which might be harder later should you decide you want to move it from where its at or  you can keep it in a container under your management

We brought seeds from our white flowered variety with us when we moved to town and then I also bought some purple flowered seeds to spread around. both are the good medicinal one Passiflora incarnata.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata

It does spread and does not stay where I put it as it travels long distances underground...we love it and those tendancies are not a problem.

It is one of our major medicinal teas and such lovely flowers.
We set up small cane teepees wherever it pops up to hold it upright and our front fence is covered by mid summer...and the south side trellis that shades the front porch.

It loves the heat and survives our long dry spells just fine.

To put this in perspective, I also have three kinds of comfrey all over including the NON sterile one here on our acre lot.

Trying really hard to crowd out the bermuda grass