Matron's Passion!

 Matron does not do flowers! I must make this perfectly clear. However when these beautiful pink passionfruit flowers develop into tasty 'banana passionfruit' then I can clearly make an exception in this case.

 I took these photos on holiday in Madeira where this passionfruit vine grows wild everywhere. In fact it is quite a pest and grows up trees and just doesn't stop. After the pendulous pink flowers come the elongated passionfruit.

 You can see them here for sale in the market in Funchal, the green fruit at the top right of the photo are absolutely delicious.

 

 

 

So when I was at Hampton Court Show last week I  bought a Passiflora Mollisima passion fruit vine. Already since purchase the growing tip has put on a full 5 inches!! It likes it hot and dry.. so perhaps I shall emigrate to a country where it doesn't rain all day every day. It is not hardy so it will stay in a pot and climb up some South facing brickwork where it has the best hope of a happy life.  I don't think the season here in the UK is long enough to produce flowers and fruit, but I'll give it a good try!