What's blooming this week in Portland

The Passion Flower in all it's glory! This sun loving vine can grow 15 feet in a season. The magnificent blooms remind me of a sea creature living in a coral reef. This vine is living on my front porch in Portland, Oregon. Bees love it! Birds love it! Butterflies love it!

The name is not derived from the carnal sense of the word "passion", but has a religious connotation. Read on for more information courtesy of The Garden Helper:

The Passion flower, cultivated throughout most of the country, and sometimes grown as a house plant, was named by early missionaries in the early 1500s. They believed that several parts of the plant, including the petals, rays, and sepals, symbolized features of the crucifixion of Christ.

These 3 inch diameter flowers are very unique and beautiful. They begin blooming in July and continue until frost. The vines can easily grow up to 15 feet in a season. Grow it on a fence or trellis, or simply allow it to scramble over your shrubs and trees.

The fruit produced by this plant is an oval berry, a little larger than a chicken egg. Passion fruit is edible, but seedy. It can be used to make jelly, but its best usage may come from being a food source for several species of butterfly and their larvae.