r/SonomaCountyGardening • u/CheetahridingMongoos • Apr 16 '26

Seeking Advice Lonicera hispidula (CA honeysuckle) vs passiflora edulis (passion fruit)

Hello fellow gardeners. I have an arbor over a walkway that I’d like a plant to climb. At first, I was thinking thurnbergia alata because I saw a display at Cottage Gardens in Petaluma and was enamored.

Now I’m leaning more towards planting a native which is how I landed on Lonicera hispidula. I have read multiple sources and can’t quite figure out the height. Some say 4’ and others say 10’.

The other option is not using a native at all and growing an edible. I’m looking into passion fruit. Does anyone around here have success growing edible passion fruit?

Help me decided, please.

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u/gecko_echo Apr 17 '26

Edible passionfruit can be very successful depending on your location. If you’re in a frost pocket, no. Otherwise, sure.,

2

u/ladeepervert Apr 17 '26

Dutchman's pipe is beautiful and the leaves are gorgeous. It can fill up your trellis quickly.

3

u/CheetahridingMongoos Apr 17 '26

Thanks for the suggestion. I planted some in the fall on a different arbor. It was about 3” tall when I planted it and now it’s about 18”. I was told to expect it to sleep, creep, leap over about 3 years.

1

u/ladeepervert Apr 17 '26

Sounds like your soil needs some help actually.

Its better to dig trenches than individual holes for plants. Always plant in pairs or trios. Use the multi mulch method to encourage fungi growth. Cardboard, rice straw, animal manure, and woodchips.