Heralding the Trumpet Vine

by Lydia Holley July 8, 2024

Are you looking for a plant to feed the hummingbirds? Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) will attract those little birds to your garden. Trumpet vine is native to East Texas, has tubular red-orange flowers, blooms all summer, is drought tolerant, and will grow in sand or clay. It is the host plant for the trumpet vine sphinx moth.

Trumpet vine can be easily grown from cuttings and can be found growing along fences or on roadsides. If you grow trumpet vine, be aware it can grow up to 40 feet so plant it on a sturdy support. It freely colonizes and self-sows, so the problem is not usually how to grow trumpet vine, but how to keep it from taking over. It is listed as invasive in Rhode Island.

Mow around trumpet vine to control suckers. Or keep it contained with concrete. Another suggestion is to place it in a container and plant the entire container to keep the roots from spreading.

Since trumpet vine blooms on new growth, feel free to prune it in spring. There should be no need to tie the vine to its support, as it has aerial roots that will cling to surfaces.

After a while, its stem will become thick and woody much like a wisteria vine. At this point, you can keep it trained to grow like a tree next to a strong support by keeping the bottom portion clear of leaves, letting only the top flower.

If you like the look but do not want the long seed pods or its numerous seeds, consider getting Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Chasity,’ a hybrid by North Carolina State which produces no seed. The hybrids ‘Apricot’ and ‘Indian Summer’ are also reportedly less aggressive than the species. Or grow crossvine, Bignonia capreolata. Its orange tubular flowers that bloom in spring and fall also attract hummingbirds without trumpet vine’s desire to take over the world.

If you are wanting to eradicate trumpet vine, be prepared for an ongoing battle. Digging the entire plant and its roots is best, but sometimes it will still return. Even herbicides usually will not kill the entire plant, as it will regrow from its roots. Eventually though, diligence will win.

For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected].