Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Zones 5 to 9
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Neutral to slightly acid
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Average
PREFERRED LIGHT: Sun to partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Trumpet-shaped flowers in yellow or red; for trellises, pillars, walls
SEASON OF INTEREST: Spring to fall
TYPE OF VINE: Woody perennial; climbs by clinging with aerial rootlets
FAVORITES: C. radicans 'Flava'; 'Madame Galen'; 'Coccinea'; C. grandiflora
QUIRKS: With age, can become top-heavy, with bare stems at the base
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Blanket flower, butter daisy, coreopsis
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: At the edge of wooded areas or in a partly shaded garden
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Suckers can become invasive if not controlled
RENEWING PLANTS: Lives many years; prune overgrown vines in late winter to 2-3 buds
CRITTER RESISTANCE: Excellent
SOURCE: Nursery plants
DIMENSIONS: To 30 ft (9.1 m)
Trumpet Vine in the Landscape
This care-free woody perennial vine needs room to romp. A spirited North American native, trumpet vine willingly covers everything from stumps to brick walls. It cascades over a steep bank, swarms up tall trees, and scrambles over a masonry shed or garage roof with ease, but you can also discipline it with pruning shears and use it to cover a pergola. However, because this vine fastens itself to its support with aerial roodets, it is not a good choice for growing on wooden buildings, where it can hold moisture against the wood, inviting rot.
Both hummingbirds and humans enjoy trumpet vine's clusters of orange-red funnel-shaped flowers, which bedeck the roaming branches of this vine from midsummer into autumn. New leaves mature to a glossy green color before turning yellow in the fall.
Ail in the Family
Often seen growing in woodlands of the Southeast, trumpet vine makes a fine addition to any garden that has ample room to support its ambitious size, which can top out at 30 ft (9.1 m). A lovely yellow-flowered cultivar, 'Flava', is often available at nurseries, and its soft color is easy to combine with other garden flowers.
Cultivars of the hybrid C. x tagliabuana are shrubbier and more compact in habit and offer larger flowers produced over a longer period than the species. Two excellent choices are 'Madame Galen', with dark apricot flowers veined with red, and bright red-flowered 'Coccinea'.
The showiest member of the family is Chinese trumpet vine (C. grandiflora). Hardy to Zone 7, it has large, loose clusters of flowers, each opening to about 3 in (7.6 cm) wide in late summer. Chinese trumpet vine is an excellent cover for a wooden pillar or a rustic fence, although its stems, which are heavy when flowering, may need to be tied to a support.
Growing Trumpet Vine
Spring is generally the best time to plant trumpet vine. Choose a site that gets at least a half day of sun, because sun leads to ambitious flowering. Take the time to amend the planting hole with a 3-4 in (7.6-10.2 cm) layer of compost, dried manure, or leaf mold.
Young vines often need assistance, so tie them to a string to help them to begin their first season's climb. Once they attach to a support, they quickly take off. The vines tend to produce suckers, which are shoots that can emerge from roots several feet from the main plant. Remove them with a sharp spade to control the size of the planting. You can plant the suckers in a new location, if desired. The plants may also shed seeds, but mowing usually keeps both suckers and seedlings in bounds.
Prune established vines in late winter or early spring to control their size. It does no harm to let branches run into trees. Overgrown vines may be cut back to within a few inches of the soil in late winter; leave only 2-3 buds on the stem. Trumpet vines normally need no fertilization and are naturally free of pests and diseases.
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