... I've got a passionflower in the garden which has a main stem thicker than my finger and which is going a bit mad. It's gorgeous and I do love it... but, can I take cuttings (when?) and/or safely cut it back a bit (when?)? If I cut it back, will it send up lots of shoots and bush out? I don't want to kill it cos it's been there 5 years now and gets to about 20 foot tall - it clings to next doors conifers and just goes high-rise and looks loverly My book seems to think its more of an annual, but this ain't!!!!!

I hard pruned and moved ours this winter. I am still waiting to see if I have killed it or not but it was a haven for snails and right where I harden off my plants so it had to be moved.

Hmmm. Mine's just coming into leaf just now which is a bit later than normal I think. I've tamed it a bit tonight by fixing up some trellis and tying the long stems to that, hence the question

I think you take softwood cuttings in spring and hard prune in Autumn
at least, that's what I've done with mine and I'm sure I read it somewhere

I think that's right Tara

However I had one at the old house - it got trashed when the fence was blown over in the high winds so I took cuttings then (think it was Jan 2007 ). Managed to keep 4 of them alive during that winter (in a plastic growhouse) and moved them with us last summer, but only got round to planting them out a couple of weeks ago - they're doing well though so it's probably worth trying cuttings any time

Also Loops - my old passionflower used to throw up new shoots about 15-20cm away from the main stem - keep an eye out for them, the new leaves are a bit different to the mature plant so you may not recognise them at first

Oh ta Lily I might try some cuttings once it's come on a bit more then. There is one long whippy stem about a foot from the main one and I did wonder if it was a shoot... no leaves tho. I'll leave it and see then.

Mine just self seed. I get orange passion fruits on them. Never tempted to eat them though.

Wow wild in a fir tree that sounds brilliant!

Have mine in a pot (well what isn't in a pot in my garden ) also had to give it the hair cut of it's life this spring but the new growth is really strong so there's hope it might get crawling!

... such pretty blue flowers too

Yeah, mine had loads of fruit too Bags - like you, I've never attempted to eat one tho

Flo - I might give it a ickle haircut then... it's the length of 4 fence panels just now

Here we go ... bloomed on Sunday for the first time!

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Beautiful Flo

awww b-e-a-utiful, Flo. Mine's now mixed in with rampant clematis on the trellis fence so I'll have to have a look to see if it's flowered - it'll probably be later than yours seeing as we're oop north