A Passion for Experiments

It's fun to grow new plants, and it's especially fun to compare different methods, settings, and conditions for the same plant. Last year, I started several Purple Passion Flower plants (Passiflora incarnata) from seed. This plant is native just to the south of us in Central Illinois and throughout the Southeast U.S.

The seeds grew well last year, and they came back this past spring. But I didn't see any flowers...

Until a couple of weeks ago! I was adjusting something above the potted plant when I saw the first flower. What a sweet surprise!



Next, I realized there were several additional buds, and it's been a joy to see them all bloom in succession.



Here are the pot and the trellis the flowering plants are growing on. They spent the winter indoors in the sunroom, going nearly dormant and then popping back in the spring. They really took off when I put them out on the front porch facing the afternoon sun.



I also planted some vines in the soil on the west side of the house. They came back even stronger, but they haven't flowered. Maybe next summer? I covered these plants in the soil with heavy mulch for winter, since we're USDA zone 5--borderline for winter survival of this plant. This is probably the warmest spot in my garden, getting sun and heat from the house throughout the entire year.

It's been a fun experiment to compare the potted plants with the outdoor garden plants. I hope they'll all survive and thrive next year, too. Will they fruit?



I've noticed a few pollinators on them, and apparently P. incarnata plants are self-fertile, meaning they don't need a partner plant to be pollinated and bear fruit.



It's so entertaining to watch the pollinators move among the dramatic stigmas and anthers and other flower parts.



Passion Flowers are so beautiful and so unique.

Every part of this plant is beautiful--from the foliage to the flowers to the sweet tendrils that wrap around the supports and curl around each other. New adventures with plants are so gratifying!

A Little Blue Magic

There's something about the cornflower/periwinkle blue of Prairie Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta) that pleases my eye. It's particularly pleasant in late summer and early autumn when the natural landscape is more dominated by the deep yellows of the various goldenrods and sunflowers (which I also love). It provides a little complementary pop of color.



Lately, when hiking at my favorite prairie areas, I've noticed quite a few clumps of this magical little plant. Whether budding or blooming, it adds a touch of surprise and grace to the understory of the tall grasses and prairie plants.

Another common name is Downy Gentian, which is an apt description of this gentle plant, too. It's native to most of northern and central U.S., and a rarer find in parts of the east and south. I'm so thankful it's common here this time of year, although it takes a bit of hunting sometimes to find and notice the foot-tall plant among the much taller prairie plants.

For those who want to add it to their gardens, it grows well in sun and part shade, which makes sense based on its native habitat. I haven't had success trying to start it from seed in my garden, but I think I have too much shade.

In the budding stage, the flowers are so graceful and inviting. Curly and enveloping, they elicit the feeling of a light summer blanket.



And when the buds open, the stripes inside the petals offer added vibrance. It's fun to find pollinators inside, as with this photo I captured a couple of years ago.

Such a beautiful flower, both inside and out, and I'm happy it blooms around here for a few weeks this time of year.