Magic Passionflower

I've been trying to get my hands on a Lemon Verbena plant all spring. The local nursery did not have any yet the last few times I went in. Finally, yesterday, they had one, the last one. I went in there just for it. It's happily nestled in a clay pot on my patio. I will overwinter this one in the house; in my ignorance last year I left it in the ground, when it's not winter hardy.

Now, while at the nursery I always have to look at everything. I browsed the tropical, and still no orange Bouganvillea. Sad, but some other plants on my list of "please" were there. I decided instead of coming home with a bunch of small perrenials (I had a $40 limit set by Theo and his budgeting, which I love he's doing) that I'd buy a $20 tropical. A treat. Special things. I settled on this passionflower vine. This morning I stepped outside to dote on it, and one of the blossoms was opening up, literally before my eyes. When I got out there, it was still closed. I found it opening a tad, and went to get the camera. By the time I focused it looked like this:


I was readjusting the camera when I heard a little tiny pop sounds, the petals had seperated, and now it looked like this:

Beautiful.

The tag say this passionflower is hardy to Zone 5, -20 degrees, but I just don't know if I want to chance it. I think I may make it a houseplant, in a sunny window, and see how that goes. Any advice.

So here is where my story gets cooler. I took this passionflower, a $.99 annual, and the $5 Lemon Verbena to the register and prepped my two $20's for payment when the lady said, "Your total is 11.57." Uh? Okay. It should have been $27 + tax. She must have done something wrong? I paid, and set the cart aside, and asked her if I could leave it here while I ran to get something else I decided I had to have.

For years I have noticed these huge Plumbago plants in the nursery. they sell them well-established, 6 ft high at $120 bucks. I fantasize about having one. Well, this trip i saw one mishappen, placed on a table, handmarked with a makeshift tag reading "Plumbago $20." Granted it was smaller, but it will grow. I ran back to grab it (yes, I really ran), ran to the register, and paid $21.00 for this treasure below. $33 purchase, should have been $57. I'm an overly ethical person, so I checked he receipt and the passionflower rang up at as a perrenial, which according the tag, it is. Sometimes these things happen, and I love it when they do.