Here's what my vine looks like right now... It is about 6 feet tall and needs to be pruned regularly in summer to control the growth. It usually does not flower until September, and never sets fruit , being a solitary plant. Oh I so wish it were a maypole producing edible fruit! Why can't I get one if those to grow like this? I'm not even a fan of the caerulea flowers, but love the maypop's!

Darn auto correct keeps changing maypop to maypole!!

I find that in zone 7 VA caerulea vines will often survive the winter. The winter of 2015 not so much. Even then they grew back from the roots though. This year most of my caerulea vines overwintered just fine and are currently blooming. The maypop dies back to the roots every year, but come back with a vengeance once it warms up. The maypops are so invasive I'm constantly pulling up vines. I wish I could keep them contained as the flowers are gorgeous.

Thanks for the response gastone. I'm in a very sunny zone 6b, and the vine is planted up against a south-facing stucco wall, which it apparently really likes. I'm so envious of all those who can grow maypop so easily, I think I have bought no fewer than 5 of these plants, most of which did not even make it through the summer. The last one I was sure would thrive since it was bigger than the others and nice and healthy with beautiful blossoms. Still no sign of it coming up, and we're in iris season already here.

Hi!

One thing to watch for with P. incarnata -- in my experience, at least (when I lived in Zone 5) is winter wet. I never could get P. caerulea to overwinter, but more often than not, P. incarnata would come back when I finally found a spot that had well-drained, practically sandy soil beneath my silver maple. It was, however, the last perennial to emerge -- even after my hardy hibiscus (and they usually started to emerge the first week of June).

---Justin

Thanks so much Justin. I am still holding out hope that it might come back… I don't have hardy hibiscus to compare it to, but we have had a cool May, and there are still a few perennials just emerging now. If there's still no sign in another month, I'll dig around to see what happened to the roots.

Course I'm on the northern end of zone 7, but my Incense (incarnata hybrid) actually came up in February this year and was 4 foot tall by early April. So...I'd sure think yours would be up by now.

dbarron,

That's kinda what I feared, judging from the cerulea too, which is always breaking dormancy before the average last frost date. Guess I'll try again, maybe Incense would work better for me… I wonder if it would bear fruit with pollen from the cerulea?

I don't know...my goal hasn't been fruit production. I am growing both this year, so I guess I might randomly see (bumblebees willing). I do love the incarnata fruit, if and when it (seldom) actually ripens.

I will comment (useless though it may seem), that native incarnata seems to thrive along fences in NW Arkansas and Oklahoma, even in clay soils. The only thing I can say is that usually it grows in well-drained areas, because typically those fencerows seem to be raised ground. Look for a winter/spring drier environment perhaps?

I a m in zone 6b, we are just finishing up with iris season and my maypops are starting to come up. They are literally only 1/4-1/2" tall but they grow fast and just barely popped up in the last couple of days.

Wow Greg, that sure is late!

dbarron: the soil here is high in clay, but I've yet to encounter anything that objects to this in my arid climate. Your comments about rarely getting ripe incarnata fruit is a bit of a problem though. I don't know of anyone around here who grows this plant, but I always had a hope that it might be a fun edible to try.

Either they're eaten by wildlife (possibly) or they seldom actually mature....which would be odd considering how cpmmon they are. I tend to watch them if living near a blooming vine...for my share. I usually only snatch a ripe one every other year or so. They fruit prolificaly, just seems like they never manage to turn yellow and aromatic (no smell like them..very fruity).

Be thankful your maypop died. They have root suckers that will take over your yard.

Thanks for the warning... But you're obviously from a climate more favorable for plants, here in northern NM plants like that are the stars of the garden! I grow lots of things here that would make gardeners in other places cringe...