Let’s take a look today at the trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), an old-fashioned unpretentious plant that seems to have been around for a very long time.
The most desirable feature of this home landscaping plant is the plentiful and beautiful trumpet shaped blossoms it produces pretty much all summer long.
The flowers are most commonly orange in color, although variations of reds and yellows can sometimes be seen.
And it’s these colorful blooms that make these plants a desirable addition to your garden, as they are great at attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.
Trumpet vine is super easy to grow. Undemanding of soil types, this perennial needs only sufficient rainfall (or watering) and plentiful sunshine to give you a bounty of blooms all summer.
Very little maintenance is needed once the plant is established.
Yearly pruning, in either the spring or fall, is a good idea in order to keep the vine within the confines of the area you desire.
This running plant really doesn’t know when to stop and can grow several feet each year, causing the vine to intrude into areas where it might not be welcome.
The vining nature of the trumpet vine makes it ideal for training onto a trellis for optimum production and viewing of the colorful blossoms.
Some gardeners consider the trumpet vine an invasive species and choose not to add it into their home landscape for this reason.
The fading blooms can be picked (deadheaded) as the summer progresses. Otherwise, the maturing blossoms will produce bean-like seed pods, which some growers consider an attractive feature also.
The main stems of these sturdy vines become tough and woody as they grow and will generally survive all but the harshest winters in most parts of the U.S.
If you’re game for a colorful old-fashioned addition to your landscape, give the trumpet vine a try.
The hummingbirds will thank you.
