I'm curious whether anyone has noticed a difference in P. edulis varieties in two areas: their need for sun and their vulnerability to slugs and snails.

I have two varieties growing in what one might think is a site too shady for P. edulis: a north-facing fence in a narrow side yard only maybe 10 feet from the house.

One variety is P. edulis 'Nancy Garrison', which I believe is pure P. edulis f. edulis, or purple passionfruit. This plant thrives in this location and is essentially pest free. Last year, it's first year bearing fruit, it was pretty productive. It also got a small winter crop.

The other variety is P. edulis 'Frederick'. This is a complex hybrid of P. edulis f. edulis and P. edulis flavicarpa. While I think it will take off this year it has been continually plagued by slugs and snails, which have devoured most of the leaves. It was initially the larger plant (although put in the ground half a year later), but has never fruited significantly. I should add that it's still a young plant and I hope it will take off this year.

So I'm curious whether others have observed that pure P. edulis f. edulis is less prone to snails/slugs than P. edulis flavicarpa or hybrids. I know that P. edulis flavicarpa is more "tropical"--does it do better with more sun, especially for those of us in climates that are not particularly hot?

I should probably add that only P. edulis 'Frederick' has experienced obvious frost damage.