Overwintering

Question

I have a passion flower in a pot. Can it be overwintered outside in the pot? If it is in the ground, can it be overwintered outside? I am in Zone 5 but it overlaps into 6. I am hearing different stories.

Answer 1

It really just depends, which is probably why you are hearing conflicting stories. First, it depends on the variety you are growing. A standard passion flower can winter in Zone 6 in the ground, but many of the fancier varieties need Zone 7.

Second, because yours is in a pot, you should be aware that you should treat plants in pots as though they need to survive one zone lower than your current zone. This is due to the fact that containers lack the insulation that plants in the ground have. You can combat this somewhat by placing the container near foundations and mulching, but it is still going to be more susceptible to temperature fluctuations than plants in the ground.

Third, is when you are in a border area, you never know what winter might throw at you. You may have several Zone 6 winters and the plant would be fine and then get hit with a Zone 5 winter, which would kill the plant.

Do you have an attached garage or basement that you could store the container in? This would be your best bet for getting the passion flower to make it through the winter.