Passion Flowers

The flower fades that is not looked upon

                                                      ~Edward Counsel

If you're from the south, you have probably heard of and/or seen passion flowers.  We had never heard of these flowers, let alone seen them, until we moved into our new home two years ago...

Aren't they very unusual looking?  They look like something you might see in a sci-fi movie...

What we did discover about them is they grow like crazy.  Mr. Cottage dug some up and gave it to some of our friends...

There're different kinds of passion flowers, one of them being on a vine.  You can read more about them here.  They are used for medicinal purposes and for culinary use...

I'm thinking this vine is getting a bit out of control; and living in a condo, this could be a slight problem.  I know last year our landscaping people pulled some of it up, thinking it was a weed, and not making Mr. Cottage very happy.  So I think we're going to have to get some kind of a small trellis so it won't climb up to our roof...

I'd love to hear from any of you who live in the south.  Have you seen these before and/or do you consider them a nuisance?  We love them here in Michigan.