I don't have any idea about the bugs, but my p. incarnata hasn't come up at all this year. I don't understand it - it was *everywhere* last year. This year, not one sprout. Nothing. :-(

~Laura

The cold spring must be what's delayed passionvines. Mine aren't as tall as they usually are at this time of the year, either.

I don't know what the bugs are, since you said they leave in a hurry. I frequently get passionvine flea beatle larva, but they sure can't fly!

Sherry

I agree with Sherry. Must be the cold Spring. I haven't seen the first bit of it emerge from the ground here yet. I think it must need consistent heat.

Mine is popping up all over the place--again. I've been pulling up the sprouting vines and putting them in a pot like I did last year. I gave that to a friend. These will go out to the farm to plant. There are lots of Variegated Fritillary caterpillars feeding on the vines. Before I left, I tried to raise some, but had to turn them loose. Susan, my PV gets skeletonized also. I don't know what does the damage. It happens until there gets to be enough growth that whatever is causing the damage seems not to effect them as much.

Sandy

Sandy, any way I could purchase one from you? I drove all over yesterday to five different nurseries looking for some. Grogg's had them earlier in the spring, but they said their supplier had a crop failure and they never got a second batch in. Mine are still not up anywhere. Nothing. I'm so disappointed because I had TONS of the stuff last year. I do have some P. caerula out by the mailbox, but I'm just not sure if I am skilled enough (LOL) to get it to root. Advice?

~Laura

Laura, I give it away! You can come get some. Send me an email, and we will set up a date and time. I've got more than enough to share--beware, this is the spreading stuff.

Sandy

OK.......turning off the alarm now. Spots of PV starting to come up now! I have more gifts from Mama Monarch left today as well.......all is good.

This happens every single year. I panic; come on the forum for reassurance; 2 days later, here it comes....you guys are my good juju!

Susan

Congrats on the Monarchs. I still have not seen one in the yard nor found any eggs. I'm finding a few out at the acreage--on the surrounding meadow--which is full of viridis. However, even there, I have to look at a hundred plants to find 8 eggs. The predators are all over the milkweed, and I'm sure that they are getting the eggs.

Sandy

It's good to hear that your P. incarnata is finally coming up, Susan!

Mine has been up for a while, and is now growing pretty rapidly.

Last year I planted a passionvine that I grew from seed from P. 'Incense', which is a hybrid of P. incarnata and P. cincinnata. Since 'Incense' doesn't make its own pollen, the pollen parent had to be the P. incarnata growing right next to it. As you all probably know, 'Incense' has real big flowers, much bigger than P. incarnata. Gulf frits lay their eggs readily on P. incarnata/maypops, but don't lay eggs on my 'Incense' at all. If caterpillars have eaten all the P. incarnata, they'll crawl over and finish up their caterpillar life on the 'Incense', but that's the only action it gets here.
My hybrid seedling has real big flowers like 'Incense' but the gulf frits laid their eggs on it last year even before P. incarnata, so I assume the chemical makeup of the leaves is more like the pollen parent, P. incarnata. It's VERY vigorous, more so than either parent, and it's already colonized. If anybody wants some of it, I'll try and root a piece of it for you. I've never been successful at rooting passionvines, but I have been successful at potting up root sprouts and transplanting them, so if the rooting doesn't work, maybe I can share it that way. Let me know if you want some.

Sherry

I have Lavender Lady growing next to incarnata. I think it must be sterile, though. I never get deed pods on it. The flowers are bigger than incarnata' s and much prettier. Incarnata flowers, in comparison, are not very spectacular. There are so many gorgeous species and crosses of PV, but most are not hardy here.

When you get flowers on your cross, be sure to post some pics.

Sandy, I can't believe you don't have eggs yet.

Thanks Sandy - I'll send an email. I appreciate your offer. The stuff I had last year was the spreading kind also -it came up everywhere. Not sure what happened and why it didn't come back this year.

I haven't seen any Monarchs at all - I have tons of milkweed (various species) but haven't seen a single butterfly or egg. I did, however, find four Giant caterpillars - early instar - today! I was excited about that!

~Laura

Glad it is coming up for you! As much as I tout natives, the one thing that drives me crazy is how much later they come up versus other things. I know this is a protective thing, but it is frustrating. Especially when all those lovely garden center plants are looking gorgeous and my natives are little stubs in the ground. I have gotten impatient enough to dig around the rootball looking for green stuff. The problem is if they don't come up soon enough I forget about them and accidentally mulch or dig them up, ooops! I try to console myself with the fact that I don't have to water them later in the year. For that, it is worth it.

Glad to see you posting. The storms in OK are very scary this year. Hopefully, you and your family are safe.

Cheers,
Elisabeth

Susan, I have my mammoth passionvine. If you need some leaves, let me know!! I also finally have some pipevine.

Lisa

Lisa, thank you so much, but I don't have very good luck with stem cuttings,, is that EVEN what you're talking about?? I've been so goofy lately and I'm afraid I am going to have to stop working in the garden for awhile. I have injured my hip and back - who knows how. I keep going out and working on a bed I'm trying to clear of Bermuda grass, which is a huge chore for me, chopping down tree limbs, moving heavy pots and bags of soil round, planting things, digging Dallis grass up, you name it. It is hard to go out side and do nothing. But that is what I need to do for a few days. I'm trying to use a cane as much as possible because my right leg just won't support my climbing the steps to the house. Or even a small step up or down. Getting old is definitely not for sissies!

Susan

Susan,

So sorry about your hip. Having some difficulties myself--yes, it stinks! Hope you get back to normal soon.

Sandy

I'm so sorry about your hip and getting around difficulties, Susan!

I hate getting old!

Sherry

Oh, I am sorry to hear about your back and leg troubles. I'm noticing more and more aches and pains each year. I hope you feel better soon!

I hadn't thought about stem cuttings, mostly I was thinking if you needed extra food, I could drop some by or I could take some babies if you needed me to. :)

Lisa

I don't have any Variegated Grits or Gulf Frits yet.......we can only hope it will not be another dry year, right? I was concerned that I might not have food for them if they do show up. Looks like I probably will now, so everything is cool. I will be having a dig and dash, or cut and run at summer's end, and you will get first dibs on the garden. I doubt if I have anything that Sandy doesn't already have! LOL!

I potted up some Flame Acanthus seedlings this morning. It is a 4-5' shrub with orange-red flowers that summers adore. The foliage always looks great. It is also a larval host for Texas Crescent in the years whenever see them. And I'm going to try to take more cuttings and pot up other seedlings as time permits and the body is willing.

Susan

Oh, Susan, could I trade you something for a flame acanthus?...I called TLC and they don't carry it and what I found on the internet seems more outrageous than I want to spend :)

We planted passionvines for the very first time this year...two for butterflies (Incarnata 'maypop' & Passiflora caerulea) and one for the show (Passiflora quadrangularis)

Is incarnata the only variety that attracts variegated frits? We don't get Gulf frits up in Minnesota. Tony

Try planting some violets and pansies as well. Most Frit spp will use these as hosts.

Incarnata seems to be the preferred and only passion vine that serves as a LFP for the Variegated Fritillary, at least here in Oklahoma. In fact, it is the only plant that I have found VF larvae on. However, I can't speak for other areas of the country. Pansies and violets may be preferred or included as larval food plants.

Variegated frits use P. incarnata if there aren't already gulf frits on it. It there are gulf frits on it, they use common violets here.

Sherry

Sandy - I've sent two emails... did you get them? I haven't gotten a reply and I know you are good about replying so I'm guessing there is something wrong on my end...

~Laura

Lisa, you are welcome to the Flame Acanthus! I think you'll love it.

I have found eggs on my violets, but I think they move to the P.
incarnata when they hatch. I had tons of small sprouts of it and that is what they preferred. Later in September, I had a female that layed her eggs higher up on the vines. Weird, huh?

Susan

Susan, Thank you!! Let me know when it is a good day to come by...I can usually drop by any night after 4:45.

Lisa