Hi Cynthia, if you want them to go a way they don't want, I usually get a curly tendril and curl it on the part of the trellis/whatever the way I want it to go. If that doesn't work, you might have to tie it till it stays
jolana

thanks jolanaweb,
I've been doing that. I was worried that I might need to pinch it somewhere to get it to branch out...or, that allowing it to climb over itself would hurt it.

I've heard they are really tough. Thus far, I've been grateful the wooden tower hasn't fallen and torn them up. These winds have sent many a tall plant flying...but no I'm not whining rather grateful it hasn't been worse.

cynthia

I think you need to get a whip and a chair, and use tough love on them. It won't be long till they've taken over your entire yard, except for the red one. It's not winter hardy in north Texas.

There's not enough gulf fritillary butterflies in the entire state to keep my passionflower vines under control. lol

Sally

That passion flower will train you! It's going to go anywhere it wants to. Just stand back and enjoy.

Well, I wish mine would do that, I get a few babies a year
I know I should be careful what I wish for but I wish all of mine would take over, lol
jolana

Tried the whip and chair, even tried whips and chains. If you figure out how to train a passion vine you'll be the most popular woman on gardenweb!! ROFL!!!
Tally HO!

Thank All
No more concern....just great grins here. I don't believe these are natives so I have some hope of regaining my yard next winter....right?

I'll keep you posted! I confess, I stand there watching to see if I can catch the pink one growing. That's not a native, is it???

Cynthia, there are a number of pink passion flowers, so it's hard to say if it's native or not. Passiflora foetida var. gossypiifolia, aka Corona de Cristo, is native to south Texas with pink-and-white flowers. It may or may not be winter hardy in your area, depending on your microclimate and severity of any particular winter. It's a close relative to Love in the Mist, which I don't believe is winter hardy in your area (but I'm not a foetida expert).

Passiflora will climb all over themselves with no ill effects. In fact, the bushier they get, the more winter-resistant they become (because of the layered insulation effect). A passion vine will grow upwards until it can't any more because of lack of support, then the vine will bend or curve downward (sometimes quite abruptly). When this happens, you can usually count on a bunch of new shoots starting up along the length of that vine.

They're not the most cooperative plant to train, but I've done it. The advice about redirecting their tendrils is pretty much your best option.

Cynthia,

Passiflora Incense is a beautiful, highly scented, evil plant. Now, in your zone, it may be less invasive, but here on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, it gets way too out of hand, showing up more than 50 feet away from the original planting. It has actually broken the fence on which it is growing. I wished I had never planted it but my wife just loves it so it's here to stay. You'll need to keep it in check though.

Steve

Thank You!

Anyone near Arlington want some Love in the Mist babies? It only took 8 months to germinate them, so I'd hate to toss them.

cynthia