Trumpet vine is a perfect example
of a hummingbird plant. Its red orange two to three inch, trumpet shaped
flowers, which bloom in mid-July have evolved along with the long, slender bill
of the hummingbird, which pollinates them. Even the color, the hummingbird’s
favorite, is designed to attract this bird. The vine clings with aerial
rootlets and is very large and heavy. Although if you’ve a massive masonry chimney
for it to grow on, you might need to wire it for additional support, and make
sure the roots do not cling to the house if it is made of wood. An easier place
to grow it is on a free standing masonry wall or over a rock pile.
If you do not
have a suitable spot and want a good hummingbird vine, grow trumpet honeysuckle
instead. A hybrid, Campsis radicans x tagliabuana “Madam Galen” has even
showier flowers. Both are hardy to Zone four to five. Chinese trumpet vine (C.
Grandiflora) has large flowers but is hardy only to zones seven to eight. In
warm climates trumpet vines can be invasive, but they are useful if you want to
cover a lot of hare ground in a hurry.
How to Grow
Grow trumpet vine in full sun in
moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Prune it on top in winter or
early spring as needed to lighten it and improve its appearance, especially if
it is very heavy on top; you don’t want the flowers and the hummingbirds to be
too high for you to see and top pruning will encourage new bottom growth.
Propagate by layering, by removing and replanting suckers, from stem cuttings
or from seed.
