Skip to main content

How to take care of passion flower plants indoors

The most important thing you need to know when looking up how to care for passion flowers is where you want to grow them. And really, who wouldn’t want to showcase one of these beautiful, exotic plants inside their home? The process for growing and caring for them outdoors is much different than growing in a container indoors; but be advised there are few varieties that will survive winters in the U.S. When in doubt, check your hardiness zone, then come right back here to learn how to grow and care for these beautiful flowers indoors.

A couple passion flower blooms
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Growing passion flower plants indoors

There are over a hundred varieties of passion flower plants, and lucky for you, the only main difference is the color. And they’re pretty easy to grow, too. In an outdoor, native environment, passion flowers can actually become invasive if left unattended. The good news is you won’t have to worry about that when growing in a container indoors.

You’ll need well-draining soil and a pot with good drainage so you don’t risk creating a soggy environment for the roots. If the soil stays too wet, your passion flower will be susceptible to damage from root rot, which could mean the end of that plant. Keep in mind that during the winter, your passion flower may go dormant since it isn’t the growing season. It may not appear as pretty as usual, but don’t throw it out! So long as you’re providing the proper care, it will perk back up come springtime.

Caring for your plant

Caring for a passion flower indoors won’t be too difficult as long as you’re familiar with houseplants. Keep in mind that not every plant is the same, and even plants from similar climates can differ in care. Your passion flower plant should be watered right after potting, and then depending on the conditions, it will only need watering once or twice a week during its growing season.

Keep in mind this can vary depending on things like the amount of light in your home and the level of humidity. They’re known to be heavy feeders, benefitting from a light dose of balanced fertilizer every four to six weeks until the beginning of autumn.

Light and temperature requirements

Light and temperature are extremely important in keeping your passion flower plant happy and healthy. They need a location in the home that has bright, indirect light for around six hours a day. If your home can’t accommodate that but you still want to grow a passion flower, we suggest buying a grow light or two to supplement! Avoiding direct light will keep the plant from getting sunburned, and you should be sure to keep it away from drafty locations.

These plants love warm weather, so make sure you don’t keep your house too cold! A good rule of thumb is that if you’re comfortable, your plants are comfortable. You may also find that you need to increase the humidity in your home if it’s too dry. This can easily be done by filling a tray with small pebbles, adding some water, and placing the tray near the plant.

A close-up of a passion flower
zlatkozalec/Shutterstock

What to do when it’s time to repot

When it’s time to repot your passion flower plant, you should follow the same steps you did to pot it in the first place (just with a larger container). Make sure you use a soil with good drainage, as well as a pot with a drip tray and hole for excess water to go through. You don’t want the roots to be soggy, but passion flowers do like to have a nice, moist soil. Be careful not to damage the roots when repotting, and don’t forget to water it a bit once it’s in its new home!

Passion flowers, like most houseplants, will be the happiest and healthiest when given proper care. Some plants are more finicky than others, and you’ll find that you’ll perfect how to care for your passion flower the more you do it. You might lose some along the way, and that’s OK! Sometimes it’s a trial-and-error process, and you’ll feel that much more ecstatic when you finally get it right.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kiera Baron
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kiera Baron is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a budding digital artist, based in Upstate NY. She is currently one…
The best vegetables to plant in October
Tips for selecting autumn plants and caring for them
Best October vegetables

Autumn is typically a season associated with harvesting. Rich cornucopias full of bounteous food and comforting dishes. Whether you're celebrating the large harvest of a family farm or the smaller harvest of a personal garden, there are many delicious vegetables, fruits, and herbs to harvest, use, and preserve for winter. However, there are also plenty of crops that can be planted in October! Your garden doesn't have to stay empty, you can begin growing new plants during fall.

Fall weather brings unique challenges and advisories. Here are some key factors to consider as you plant your crops, select seeds, and care for each plant properly. Keep reading to find out what the best vegetable to plant in October are.

Read more
Wondering what to plant in October? Here are the best flowers and vegetables for autumn
Tips for picking out the best plants to start in autumn
View of a vegetable garden

Your gardening season doesn’t have to be over when the leaves and temperatures start to fall. October is a great time for planting. The mild days and cool evenings are perfect for establishing cool-season flowers and veggies. Plus, trees and shrubs need less care and attention if you plant them in fall instead of spring. Although there are some heat-loving plants that prefer to start out with a long summer, the plants on this list find their sweet spot in autumn. Keep reading to find out what to plant in October.

Cool-season flowers
Purchase cool-season flowers from your local garden center in time for October planting. Or, start them from seeds in August or September. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost to amend garden beds prior to planting. For container garden setups, use a high-quality outdoor potting mix.
Pansies and violas
Pansies and violas are mound-shaped plants with emerald green foliage and colorful 1- to 2-inch flowers. They love the cold. Plant them in the fall for a colorful display as long as daytime temperatures stay above freezing. In the deep cold, they pause and resume as soon as the weather turns mild. Expect pansies and violas to remain in good condition until warm weather arrives in late spring or early summer.

Read more
What you need for a gorgeous indoor rose plant
Grow an indoor rose garden for a lively and elegant display
Several orange miniature roses in a large pot

Roses are beautiful, elegant flowers, but they’re also typically grown as outdoor blooms. They can take up a lot of space and have a reputation for being somewhat particular about their care. So what should you do if you have limited space to grow plants, or if the weather isn’t compatible with growing roses? Grow them indoors, of course! Here's everything you need to know to care for an indoor rose plant.

Can you grow roses inside?
Yes, you absolutely can! Revitalize your indoor garden with a bounty of roses. Roses will grow just as well indoors as they would outdoors, as long as you take proper care of them. Here are the basics of rose care and how they’re impacted by the change of scenery.
Light
Light is very important for roses. Most rose varieties need roughly six hours of direct sunlight a day. For indoor roses, make sure they have plenty of light or look for a variety that specifically grows in lower light. Grow lights will be crucial if your home doesn't get a lot of natural lighting.
Water
When watering your roses, make sure that the top inch of the soil is dry before you water, but don’t let the soil dry out completely. You also want to keep an eye out for the humidity. If the air isn’t humid enough, your rose may develop a spider mite infestation! You can place your rose in a tray with just a little water in it, which creates more humidity around the plant as the water evaporates. There is, of course, also the option of investing in a humidifier.
Temperature
Roses are not very fond of the cold. They need temperatures ranging from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit to be comfortable. However, you can start your roses in January or February — the seeds should be just fine with this timing. The soil will keep them warm in late winter, and you should see sprouts by spring.
Pruning
Roses do need to be pruned, and this is especially true of indoor roses. Pruning keeps them healthy and from taking up too much room. Simply clip faded blooms off with sharp garden shears or a blade.

Read more