NOTLABS: Passiflora Experiment- 06.30.17
How mesmerizingly beautiful are Passiflora Flowers? AND they produce delicious Passion Fruit?!?! I’ve been looking for an excuse to plant some for a while, but didn’t want to have an area where the vines could engulf surrounding trees.
So, when a monster house popped up behind ours, Shawn and i were inspired to create a private nook off the bedroom. We imagined a trellis with L shaped bench - clean, simple, wooden and angled ever so perfectly to be comfortable to lean and lounge on. Something that would pair with both smaller coffee tables for hanging out, as well as a dining/work table when appropriate. Something that could withstand the elements, and inspire us every time we walk by. From the outside, the vines would slowly camouflage the structure, from the inside, you’d be seated in a lush, private oasis.
We designed and built it earlier this year, and i’ve been waiting to have the vines fill in and flower to take more pictures for a post… well, they have not only been filling in super fast, but also flowering, and are currently bearing quite a bit of fruit! So take a look on the next page for a peek at the process from start to finish… well the current state of it anyhow, who knows if we’ll keep adding more?!?!
In Dec 2016, while the idea was growing, we picked up some Passiflora vines and popped them into our Sun Bubbles (love these fun portable greenhouses!)
We even rented a truck just to get wood…
Before we got to the Passiflora Experiment, we used a lot of that wood to build out the garage workshop…
… and make new shelves for the NOTCOT library!
Meanwhile the passiflora vines were thriving in the bubbles! (We’re still waiting for a google satellite view update to see how these look from the sky!)
Step one was to test out the angles…
Then we built out the main framing components.
After we primed/sealed them - time for assembly!
Of course Bucky kept “helping” as we filled it all in…
The view from inside!
Bucky testing things out - definitely puppy approved!
Working on painting it - throughout the rain!
One of our favorite details - the shadows!
Amazingly, even in pots, we had passion fruit ripen! Pretty tasty!
Planting time! 4 passiflora vines to get things going.
On design details - the ledge is perfect for your drink!
As the vines started to work their way up and around, it became our new coffee/hang out spot! We’d even find Bucky spying on birds and taking naps on it when we weren’t around!
Sunset through the vines!
Perhaps the MOST exciting next phase of the project was when the vines started flowering!!!
While the flowers only last a day or two, we’ve had so many opening the last couple of months!!!
Also, tons of lady bugs have been flocking to the vines.
Then the flowers started turning into Passion Fruit!
As of yesterday, the vines are flourishing wildly, and covering more and more of the trellis/bench. While there are less flowers, there are still quite a few, but we currently have at least a dozen egg sized passion fruit ripening!
… and from the inside, it’s becoming an even lovelier, relaxing little outdoor oasis.
Tony ~ while i agree the vines can explode and take over… it’s all about staying on top of pruning them just the way you want! Our 4 have been perfect for filling the area quickly, with just enough vines to train them to cover the areas we want.
----- Jean of NOTCOT 17.08.17 13:51