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Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Trumpet Vine blooms from June through September.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Trumpet Vine
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 26 ft tall and 6.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years.
When to plant Trumpet Vine
Plant Trumpet Vine in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 3 varieties across 2 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Trumpet Vine
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Called cow-itch vine: touching the leaves, flowers or sap can redden, itch and swell skin (a contact dermatitis), and the leaves and flowers are mildly toxic if eaten. per NC State and USDA
Worth knowing
A top hummingbird plant: a narrow throat in each flower lets a hummingbird's bill reach the heavy nectar while shutting out large bees, so hummingbirds carry the pollen. per Ecology and Evolution and Scientific Reports
Spreads hard; contain it
The headline issue: it suckers from underground runners and self-seeds into dense colonies that choke out neighbors, and it is hard to remove once established. per USDA
Needs a very sturdy support
It clings by aerial rootlets and grows heavy woody trunks, so give it a strong freestanding arbor or wall, never house siding, gutters, wood trim or a small tree. per NC State
Prune hard in late winter
It flowers on new growth, so a hard cutback in late winter or early spring keeps it in bounds without costing the coming summer's flowers. per University of Illinois
Slow to start flowering
A newly planted vine often will not bloom for 3 to 5 years; it has to mature first, so a leafy non-blooming plant is usually just young or too shaded. per Iowa State
What pairs well with Trumpet Vine
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Viburnum
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; shorter at 6.6 ft, an understory layer.
Lilac
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; shorter at 9.8 ft, an understory layer.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Witch Hazel
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; shorter at 9.8 ft, an understory layer.
Tulip Tree
Shares full sun and moderate water; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; both are native plants.
Bee Balm
Shares full sun and moderate water; both are strong pollinator plants; both are native plants; red sits close to orange on the wheel.
Maiden Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; shorter at 5.9 ft, an understory layer.
Serviceberry
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; both are native plants.
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