SOME gardeners avoid trying to grow these beautiful climbers because of their questionable hardiness, but if you have a sheltered spot on a sunny wall, have a go and you should be rewarded with beautiful rosettes until well into October.

Among the most popular is the blue passion flower P. caerulea, which will cover an area up to 2.5m x 5m (8ft x 15ft), producing large blue and white flowers, which are often followed by yellow egg-shaped fruits that aren’t as tasty as proper passionfruit. The top will die back in hard winters, allowing the roots to produce new flowering stems. They need to be grown in moist, welldrained soil in full sun, or in tubs of loam-based potting compost. Apply a winter mulch if you are growing them in cold areas.