Trumpet Creeper Vine > National Home Gardening Club

BY: Mary Pestel

Vining on an arbor, flouncing along a fence, or embellishing a tree trunk, the trumpet vine holds up in heat, humidity, and poor soil. It produces tubular-shaped yellow, orange, or red flowers from midsummer to fall.

In autumn, clusters of seedpods form. The trumpet vine has 7 to 11 leaflets per leaf and rootlets that attach to available supports. You'll need a strong support for this vine because it grows vigorously. It's salt tolerant and will grow in infertile soils, but prefers soil with average drainage.

Plant Facts
Common name: Trumpet creeper vine, trumpet vine
Botanical name: Campsis radicans
Plant type: Woody, deciduous climber
Height: 30 to 40 feet high
Zones: 4 to 9
Family: Bignoniaceae

Growing conditions

Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained is best, but tolerates poor soils.
Moisture: Grows best in moist soil, but will survive periods of drought.

Care

Mulch: Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around new plants to deter weeds.
Fertilizer: None required. In rich soil, trumpet creeper can be excessively vigorous.
Pruning: Trumpet vine flowers on new wood. In late winter or early spring, cut back the side shoots to a few buds and thin out overcrowded shoots.

Pests and diseases

Fungal diseases may occur but are not severe enough to treat with chemicals.
Scale and whitefly sometimes appear but do not seriously damage the plant.

Propagation

Sow seeds in fall.
Root leaf-bud cuttings in spring.

Cultivars

‘Apricot' (pictured here) grows 15 to 20 feet high and has 3-inch apricot blooms in summer. Grows 15 to 20 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
‘Flava' (var. flava) has deep yellow flowers that are shorter and wider than the species. Grows 30 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

Garden notes

Trumpet creeper has rootlike holdfasts along the stem, but they need the extra support of a lattice or trellis.
In rich soils and warmer climates, trumpet creeper can be very aggressive, so keep it in check with annual pruning.

All in the family

The Bignoniaceae family has mostly tropical trees or shrubs with large, showy flowers and capsular fruit. But the catalpa tree (Catalpa bignonioides and C. speciosa) grows in Zones 5 to 9. It reaches 50 feet tall and has large 2 to 2½-inch flowers followed by 16- to 20-inch-long pods.
The calabash tree (Crescentia cujete) is a small tree from tropical America with tufted leaves 2 to 6 inches long and irregular, bell-shaped, yellowish flowers that are 2 inches long. The fruits may grow up to 1 foot in diameter. When dry, they make excellent receptacles or hula rattles. The flowers open in the evening and are bat-pollinated where native.

Text by Mary Pestel, photo courtesy of Wayside Gardens.

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Trumpet Creeper Vine

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Current Articles \| Archives \| Search Trumpet Creeper Vine BY: Mary Pestel 0 Vining on an arbor, flouncing along a fence, or embellishing a tree trunk, the trumpet vine holds up in heat, humidity, and poor soil. It produces tubular-shaped yellow, orange, or red flowers from midsummer to fall. In autumn, clusters of seedpods form. The trumpet vine has 7 to 11 leaflets per leaf and rootlets that attach to available supports. You'll need a strong support for this vine because it grows vigorously. It's salt tolerant and will grow in infertile soils, but prefers soil with average drainage. Plant Facts Common name: Trumpet creeper vine, trumpet vine Botanical name: Campsis radicans Plant type: Woody, deciduous climber Height: 30 to 40 feet high Zones: 4 to 9 Family: Bignoniaceae Growing conditions Sun: Full sun Soil: Well-drained is best, but tolerates poor soils. Moisture: Grows best in moist soil, but will survive periods of drought. Care Mulch: Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around new plants to deter weeds. Fertilizer: None required. In rich soil, trumpet creeper can be excessively vigorous. Pruning: Trumpet vine flowers on new wood. In late winter or early spring, cut back the side shoots to a few buds and thin out overcrowded shoots. Pests and diseases Fungal diseases may occur but are not severe enough to treat with chemicals. Scale and whitefly sometimes appear but do not seriously damage the plant. Propagation Sow seeds in fall. Root leaf-bud cuttings in spring. Cultivars ‘Apricot' (pictured here) grows 15 to 20 feet high and has 3-inch apricot blooms in summer. Grows 15 to 20 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 4 to 9. ‘Flava' (var. flava) has deep yellow flowers that are shorter and wider than the species. Grows 30 feet tall and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Garden notes Trumpet creeper has rootlike holdfasts along the stem, but they need the extra support of a lattice or trellis. In rich soils and warmer climates, trumpet creeper can be very aggressive, so keep it in check with annual pruning. All in the family The Bignoniaceae family has mostly tropical trees or shrubs with large, showy flowers and capsular fruit. But the catalpa tree (Catalpa bignonioides and C. speciosa) grows in Zones 5 to 9. It reaches 50 feet tall and has large 2 to 2½-inch flowers followed by 16- to 20-inch-long pods. The calabash tree (Crescentia cujete) is a small tree from tropical America with tufted leaves 2 to 6 inches long and irregular, bell-shaped, yellowish flowers that are 2 inches long. The fruits may grow up to 1 foot in diameter. When dry, they make excellent receptacles or hula rattles. The flowers open in the evening and are bat-pollinated where native. Text by Mary Pestel, photo courtesy of Wayside Gardens. Comments There are currently no comments, be the first to post one. Post Comment Only registered users may post comments.