passionflowers in TX

Hello,

I am growing several passion flowers on my fence this year,. I have an incense and a Lady Margaret which are blooming but the blooms are coming out distorted. Also, it seems something is eating the buds. Would anyone know what could be causing this? I haven't found anything on them but lots of ants.

Also, I have a coccinea and a Lavender Lady that are vining like crazy but with no hint of buds. They are getting a good bit of sun with some late day shade from a nearby tree. The Lavender Lady was blooming when I purchased her. Anyone know what I might do to these to help them form buds?

Lastly, I also have a thunbergia grandiflora in a similar spot to the Lavender Lady which has a bloom here and there but nothing like what I have seen in other gardens. Is there a trick to this one? It gets a little more shade than everyone else but I thought it would be happy in that location. Any suggestions are welcome.

Sorry for all the questions....it's my first TX summer.

:) Thanks, Kim

Have you checked the buds for thrips and spider mites? They're very hard to see. The easiest way to check is to hold a sheet of plain white paper under the stem or flower, flick the flower with the other hand and the bugs fall on the paper where they're easier to see. Spidermites, if the infestation is bad enough, have webs on the undersides of the leaves.

Thunbergia grandiflora will have a few flowers off and on in summer but it will have more flowers in winter. It flowers best during short daylength.

the Gulf Fritillary butterfly hosts on Passion vines

Thanks so much for your help. I have seen the gulf fritillary butterfly around these plants so maybe that is what is eating them. If so then I don't mind, I like the butterflies. Since I posted there have been some blooms that have opened ok. I don't think it is pests as I have looked them over carefully, no webbing or such evidence. I am very familiar with the signs from my indoor plants. Also thanks for the tip on the thunbergia, I'll be more patient now.

:) Kim

I had something similar happen to my Lady Margarets. I couldn't find any bugs, but sprayed with Safer 3 in 1. I still have the butterflies. My Lady Margaret is now 1 year old and has (at last count) over 20 blooms and a bunch of buds!

There is no thunbergia grandiflora listed in the Plant Files. Isn't that what is also called a Blue Sky vine? That's not listed either. Hmmm.

Barbara

if you have ants check for Aphids i had that trouble one year Paul