Passionflower - Past It??

[Lesley Jay]

My passionflower plant which is 5 - 6 years old looks as dead as a door post! Throughout that dreadful winter with freezing temperatures and 10 inches of snow it remained in full leaf and the leaves were a lovely dark green colour.

But a couple of months ago, just when the rest of the garden was bursting into life, it seems to have died. It lives on the trellis fence between the two houses and just before it turned brown and dead looking our neighbour dug a channel out for a soaker hose alongside the fence. So I'm wondering if he chopped through the roots.

Now this passionflower plant is special so is there any way I can revive it?? If I cut a branch off close to the base and put it in water would that grow?? Any suggestions will be fab!

[DavidT]

Lesley, have you scraped the bark to see if it`s green underneath?

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by DavidT

Lesley, have you scraped the bark to see if it`s green underneath?

No David, I'm a veg grower, which I absolutely love , not a flower grower!! House plants take one look at me and keel over!! I will scrape at the bark tomorrow. I was wondering if cutting all the dead looking stems off would encourage new growth to sprout from the large base.

[DavidT]

If the heartwood is still green, that`s what you can do.

[hiyatim]

you can buy a rooting hormone which i have had some great sucess with before now, i forget the name but im sure most garden centres will stock it, thought its worth a mention if its special it may help

[Lesley Jay]

Thanks guys, I haven't been outside to scrape the base yet because it's been throwing it down all day! Rooting hormone - I am sure there was some in the greenhouse but I bet the OH threw it away.

I'm determined to save it!

[hiyatim]

i hope you do, keep us informed, i managed to turn a rubber plant into two rubber plants with rooting hormone

[DavidT]

Lesley, if the rootball is still viable the plant will regrow from the base.