Devon Subtropical Garden
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devonsubtropical.bsky.social
Devon Subtropical Garden
@devonsubtropical.bsky.social
Private North Devon garden specialising in passionflowers, hedychium, bananas, colocasia etc.
Featured on BBC Gardeners World 2024 Episode 31

Open for National Gardens Scheme
Web:
Devonsubtropicalgarden.rocks
Amazing #aurora borealis scenes this far south last night. Thanks to Angie and Lee next door for getting us to go out!
And also pleased I didn’t let my recent rereading of ‘Day of the Triffids’* put me off!

*Naturally I was rooting for the plants.
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January 20, 2026 at 3:03 PM
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We were a very short notice fill in for a cancelled speaker for the lovely people at Goodleigh Horticultural Society last night. Since we’d already done our general talk to them in September we dusted off a passionflower talk from 2years ago.
Great audience who laughed at all my terrible jokes!
January 15, 2026 at 9:46 PM
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More winter #passiflora
Firstly P. x violacea ‘Atropurpurea’ that we acquired from the legendary John Vanderplank when he visited us this summer and a tacsonia hybrid, possibly P. x exoniensis, with its shockingly pink flowers. Both will have prominent greenhouse positions next year.
December 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
🌱 As we stampede towards the shortest day of the year greenhouse passionflowers are struggling. A couple that are thriving in cool &duller conditions are P. ‘Annette’ & the tacsonia supersection including this bright pink one we have been growing as P x exoniensis & first bud on a newly acquired one
December 15, 2025 at 10:27 AM
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Coincidentally our night flowering (&day this time of year) #Passiflora ‘Annette’ has 2flowers open today just as I spotted that one of the open pollinated seeds from it has germinated in the propagator.
We don’t know which of our many other plants the pollen came from - should be interesting!
December 13, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. As part of this I took part in an online intro challenge.
Very scratchy and rushed but what the hell, how often do we get the chance to legitimately desecrate an all time classic?

youtu.be/7mGN1W2Ty-s?...
My entry for the Justin Guitar Wish You Were Here at 50 Challenge (Dedicated to Dan Adie RIP)
YouTube video by Steve Morgan
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 11:59 AM
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#Passiflora in the greenhouse are throwing occasional slightly distorted flowers as we head for the darkest time of year. Here P. x exoniensis (showing more of the shape a colouring of P. tripartita var mollissima, one of its parents), P. cocuyensis and P. ‘Annette’
December 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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First frost last night, and a sharp one. Exactly what was needed to stop weedy new growth and reset plants. Greenhouse heating passed first test of the season (looking to keep a minimum of +5C)
Time to focus on clearing up and generating lovely compost for next year.
November 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
The greenhouse is now nearly winter ready. All plants are back in and the heaters are ready for the first cold night.
Heated trays are already in place and protecting the most tender items and other greenhouse inhabitants!
And yes we are a right soft touch (see second pic)
November 3, 2025 at 10:30 AM
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October 31, 2025 at 4:16 PM
I’ve now had it confirmed that this is #Passiflora ‘Scarlet Flame’ which is not quite as tender as its parent, P. vitifolia. Nevertheless I will overwinter it very dry (misting more often than watering) &in September grafted some shoots to the hardy P. caerulea which will overwinter on a heated tray
October 30, 2025 at 10:46 AM
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A bit of late season #passiflora colour:
P. ‘Scarlet Flame’
P. ‘Blue Nun’*
P. ‘Pura Vida’
P. ‘Byte’

*unofficial name - our open pollinated hybrid of P. ‘La Morellina’
October 19, 2025 at 5:18 PM
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We had a lot of fun giving our Tropical Plants talk to Ilfracombe flower club yesterday.We seem to be in moderately high demand at the moment which is nice!
Someone described these talks as ‘a cross between a gardening talk & a slightly sinister piece of performance art.’ A compliment, probably!
October 15, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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Some great scented passionflowers n the greenhouse today.
Here is one of our latest seedlings, an open pollinated seedling from P. ‘Fata Confetto’ so far free flowering,robust and well scented. We will see how it overwinters
&the glorious P. ‘Byte’ one of the best scented #passiflora you can grow
October 6, 2025 at 10:42 AM
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Lots of great colour from the #passiflora in the greenhouse.
P. ‘Scarlet Flame’,
P. ‘Pretty Tina’
P. ‘Pura Vida’
P. ‘Buzios’ (a form or hybrid of P. princeps - used to be called P. racemosa)
All lovely but none are scented.
October 6, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Some passionflowers:
tacsonia hybrid - we have been growing this as P. ‘Coral Seas’ but it probably isn’t!
P. ‘Michael’ - has done well this year.
An open pollinated hybrid of P. ‘La Morellina’ - really like this one.
P. ‘Vivacious Velvet’ our amethystina caerulea hybrid - great scent.
October 2, 2025 at 8:08 PM
As the season winds down and day length, light intensity and temperatures reduce some #passiflora flowers stay open for 2 or 3 days giving some dramatic displays.
Here are P. ‘Byte’, P. ‘Fata Confetto’ and a seed raised P. incarnata.
October 2, 2025 at 8:03 PM
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Some lovely #passiflora action today. Here’s P. ‘Pura Vida’ with really strong Autumn colour and the night flowering P. ‘Annette’ which can stay open all day when it gets duller and the days get shorter.
September 21, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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Better late than never!
It’s not been a vintage year for our indoor hedychiums, my fault mainly as we have prioritised Passiflora.
This is likely to be the only flower from H. maximum, the huge scented glory of autumn.
More to follow as it opens.
I will try harder next year!
September 17, 2025 at 11:38 AM
One big #passiflora success this year has been this P. ‘Michael’ (P. x vitifolia x P. caerulea) with its huge red flowers.
Although not prolific, it has flowered steadily through the season (with a few buds to come) and has remained healthy. I have now grafted some bits to P. caerulea rootstock.
September 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
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This was a lovely surprise this morning. An open pollinated seedling from #Passiflora ‘Fata Confetto’ (seen in last pic) sown this spring. It is healthy looking and full of buds. The flowers are pretty, decent sized and have a good scent. I think this is a keeper!
September 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
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Busy with gardening open today so quick share from yesterday. So here’s the magnificent #Passiflora x decaisneana (often missold as quadrangularis - but it’s a hybrid of that & P. alata and a much easier plant to manage) wonderful huge scented flowers. I’ve crossed it with pollen from P. ‘Buzios’
September 7, 2025 at 8:48 AM
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It’s red/purple day in the greenhouse.
#Passiflora ‘Marijke’ (P. x decaisneana x P. caerulea)
P. cocuyensis ‘Nova’
P. ‘Michael’ (P. vitifolia x P. caerulea)
& P. ‘Pura Vida’ ((P. kermesina x P. caerulea) x P. princeps)

Lovely!

We even have a P. x decaisneana about to flower.
September 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
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By far the two best outdoor hedychium to grow (beating Tara, densiflorum etc by virtue of great scent & long flowering - each inflorescence up to 2 weeks as opposed to 4 to 5 days) are ‘Devon Cream’ & ‘Corelli’.
But which is best?
No point disturbing Harry Hill with this one, just grow both.
September 4, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Some wonderfully scented #passiflora in the greenhouse.
P. x allardii (P. x decaisneana* x P. caerulea)
P. x belotii (P. alata x P. caerulea)
P. ‘Byte’ (P. ‘Byron Beauty’ x P. ‘Temptation’)
P. ‘Fata Confetto’ (P. ‘Guglielmo Betto’ x P. cincinnata 'Dark Pollen'.

*probably-published as quadrangularis
September 3, 2025 at 2:12 PM