Passionflower Maypop

The flowers will stop you in your tracks. Just 2 to 3 inches wide, they combine pastel shades of pink and purple. The petals are widely-spaced and somewhat incurved, while the central mass of frizzy, threadlike strands offers ribbons of colors in a bull's-eye pattern that leads to the fascinating central cross. They begin in midsummer and continue right up until frost, each one a distinctive miracle.

Egg-shaped edible fruit follows the blooms, chartreuse colored and absolutely delicious. The flavor will remind you of Passionfruit, and the aroma is musky and delectable. This is the only hardy Passionflower to bear edible fruit, and it is a prize for the palate!

But even when neither flowers nor fruit is present (which is not very often, granted!), the foliage makes the vine attractive all by itself. The leaves are 5 to 6 inches wide and up to 8 inches long, adding elegant tropical effect to any setting. But Maypop is far from tropical -- in fact, this hardy perennial thrives in climates of -25 degrees F!

Ideal for containers in any climate and very easy in the garden, Maypop reaches 8 to 12 feet long. It will die back completely to the ground in winter and not reappear until late spring, but once you see it "pop," you're in for another glorious season of color, fragrance, and fruit! Zones 5-11.