Hi Deanna: Same here and we are in Zone 7 in Northern CA. We have had cool nights all summer long however and in the past month as low as 35, 36 degrees at night. When I woke up Thursday morning it was a balmy 38 degrees. The hostas in the wettest most shaded places area holding up better but those in the dryer beds are starting to fade despite daily watering. A strange year of weather indeed. Kate

Hi ottawan, no they would accumulate the same number of chill hours. Figs trees in Hawaii or like I over wintered under 1,200watts in my garage do not lose their leaves. The same is true of deciduous trees grown in an environment where they have enough heat and light hours to keep from going dormant. They may lose leaves that are damaged by wind insects or disease. However they do not defoliate if the days are long enough and warm enough. For the most part deciduous trees lose their leave/go dormant when daylight hours shorten and it gets colder. It is thought by most that this is done to conserve energy. And this is because the leaves are not able to produce enough energy under winter conditions to both support themselves and the tree so the tree aborts them. When a deciduous tree lives in an environment where it's leaves can produce enough energy through photosynthesis year round the tree no longer has a reason to abort them/go dormant. With most fruit trees this will put them in a constant vegetative growth state that ebbs faster and slower with the seasons and they will not transition into a flowering state and thus will not produce fruit. Others are able to flower while going through vegetative growth or are able to somehow adjust to the more subtle changes in seasons and flower and produce fruit in spite or the constant vegetative state. I know this is not true of all deciduous fruit trees as stone fruits need a period of dormancy. I think their obvious need for dormancy is one reason why most think that all deciduous fruit trees require a period of dormancy in order to flower. Apparently not all deciduous fruit trees are so rigorously bound to this. Does it hurt them over time I can't say. I only did this one year but in Hawaii fig trees can go many years without going dormant while maintaining fruit production. I know this flys in the face of conventional wisdom and I'm not sure I explained everything right but what I said about the trees flowering and fruiting without any chill hours or a noticeable period of dormancy is true. My guess is that conventional wisdom will change over time to fall in line with the facts or there will have to be a new definition of dormancy that does not include what are today considered the obvious signs we all look for when we call a tree dormant. The obvious question is can a deciduous fruit tree be dormant when it's covered in green leaves and has fruit growing on it? If the answer is no then either they are not going dormant or we need a new definition for the word. Or perhaps some deciduous fruit trees do not need a dormant period in order to go though a fruiting cycle. wabikeguy please forgive my hijacking your thread. It was not my intention but things just kind of went in that direction.

Thanks Karen, I think I need to ask my friend more questions--we've only communicated by email. I looked back at her original question and she said that the plant had dropped its lower leaves, leaving only those near the ceiling. She didn't say whether it was sudden or gradual, though--she had just been hoping that the plant would fill the window to block an ugly view. She sent me a picture of a beautiful flower a couple months ago, so the plant can't be too unhappy--unless conditions have changed. She's quite good with plants, so that's not an issue. Maybe the solution is as simple as a little pruning (or a lot)? I have very little experience growing plants inside long-term, no experience when it comes to passionflowers. Can I assume that Incarnata and its hybrids (I still need to see if she knows the identity of the plant) are more tolerant of severe pruning because they grow from their roots? Or is there a way to encourage new growth (suckers) for incarnata and its hybrids? I could swear that I've seen this question here before.

I wouldn't exactly say I was "forcing" dormancy...merely hurrying it along the way a freeze does it in colder zones. You folks up north get that lovely fall color and I get it here too. Then a freeze wipes out the tops on yours. Mine just go slowly into the night.... so I hurry them along. Bugs and mold love those floppy leaves as they go dormant, and that is something that those of us in the warmer zones have to deal with since we don't have the freezing temps to kill them off. I am beginning to see signs of life with the "usual suspects" that always come up way ahead of the others here. (Spartan Arrow is up 3/4"). Daffodils are blooming now, and my purple leaf plum is flowering. They do that within a week (plus or minus) EVERY February 15th here. I keep my dormant hostas barely moist putting them in an atrium covered with a tarp to keep out the winter rains. I am fascinated that ilovetogrow lets hers get rain water in winter. Mine died after 3 or 4 years when I did that. I need to learn more! -Babka