Trumpet vine

Sun

Full sun gives the best flowering. Tolerates partial shade but produces fewer flowers; choose a warm, sheltered position in cooler climates.

Water

Water regularly during the first growing season. Once established, water during prolonged drought; avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Adaptable to most well-drained soils, including clay, sand and relatively poor ground. Avoid waterlogged sites and heavy feeding.

Height

25-40 ft (7.6-12 m) with support

Spread

5-10 ft (1.5-3 m) across the support; root suckers can spread considerably farther

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; clusters of orange to orange-red trumpet-shaped flowers.

Foliage

Opposite, dark green leaves divided into 7-11 toothed leaflets; autumn colour is usually yellow-green to yellow.

Growth

Fast once established

Care needed

High

• Provide a heavy-duty, freestanding support and tie in young stems until they attach.
• Keep it away from gutters, roof edges, timber cladding and damaged masonry.
• Water deeply during establishment, allowing the soil surface to dry between waterings.
• Apply a thin organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the main stems.
• Avoid routine nitrogen feeding, which encourages leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
• Remove unwanted root suckers promptly and check beyond the planting area throughout the growing season.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, shorten the previous year's side shoots to two or three buds from a permanent framework; flowers form on new growth. Remove dead wood, unwanted stems and root suckers, wearing gloves to avoid skin irritation.

Late winter

Prune side shoots back to the permanent framework and inspect supports and ties.

Spring

Plant when the soil is workable and severe frost has passed; water thoroughly and mulch.

Late spring

Guide new stems onto the support and remove shoots heading towards buildings or neighbouring plants.

Summer

Check regularly for root suckers and water young plants during dry spells.

Late summer

Remove developing seed pods where unwanted seedlings are a concern, if they can be reached safely.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves and check that the support can carry the weight of the mature vine.

• Train over a substantial freestanding pergola to provide summer flowers and seasonal shade.
• Use on a strong boundary trellis in a large garden, with access on both sides for pruning.
• Grow as a flowering focal point beside an open lawn or paved area where suckers are easier to spot.
• Combine with sun-loving perennials in a spacious North American wildlife garden, keeping their crowns clear of its stems.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Traditional, Southern, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden and Hot border.

Plant it with: Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Switchgrass, Bee balm and Garden phlox.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds in North America and are visited by bees. Dense growth offers shelter and potential nesting cover for birds.

• Uncontrolled suckering: remove shoots promptly and trace them back to their roots where practical; cutting down the main vine alone does not kill its root system.
• Few flowers: provide more sun, stop nitrogen-rich feeding and allow young plants time to mature; cool summers can also limit flowering.
• Aphids: wash colonies from young growth with water and encourage natural predators rather than using broad-spectrum insecticides.
• Leaf spots or powdery mildew: improve airflow, avoid wetting foliage unnecessarily and clear affected fallen leaves; established plants usually tolerate minor damage.

Sap and contact with the foliage or flowers can cause skin irritation in people, sometimes quite marked; wear gloves when pruning. The plant is reported to be mildly poisonous if eaten, with possible digestive upset. Reliable species-specific information for cats, dogs and horses is limited, so it should not be treated as a confirmed non-toxic plant; prevent chewing or grazing and seek veterinary advice after ingestion.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively by root suckers and sometimes seed, including within its native eastern and central United States range. It can be troublesome in gardens in southern Canada, the United Kingdom and warmer parts of Australia as well. In the United States, Oregon lists it as a noxious weed; check local regulations before planting.

• Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora)

  Has broader, more flared flowers and fewer aerial rootlets, so it clings less effectively than trumpet vine.

• Hybrid trumpet vine (Campsis × tagliabuana)

  A hybrid of American and Chinese trumpet vines, often with larger, more flared flowers than C. radicans; intermediate plants can be difficult to identify without a reliable label.

• Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)

  Climbs using tendrils and has leaves with two main leaflets rather than 7-11; its often two-toned flowers appear mainly in spring.

Campsis comes from the Greek for bending, referring to the curved stamens, while radicans means rooting, referring to the aerial roots that attach the stems to supports.

Propagation. Propagate from rooted suckers, root cuttings taken during dormancy, or layered stems. Seed is possible, but seedlings may take several years to flower and do not reliably preserve named cultivar characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Campsis radicans

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky.

Measured

Average height 56 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.