Description: Trumpet creeper is a deciduous or partly evergreen vine that climbs by aerial rootlets and twining stems. It is a U.S. native. Stems can grow up to 12 m long and have numerous aerial rootlets.
The showy flowers of trumpet creeper make this plant appropriate for some gardening and landscaping needs. It is often used as a cover for fences, arbors, walls, pillars or large trellises and as a ground cover. The cigar-like fruit may be considered decorative during winter.
Characteristics
Common name: Trumpet Creeper, Trumpet Flower, Trumpet Vine
Scientific name: Campsis radicans (L.)
Family name: Bigononiaceae – Trumpet-creeper family
Height: up to 39 feet (12m) long
Light needed: prefers full sun for best flowering
Hardiness zones: 4-10
Bloom period: from July through August
Bloom color: yellow-orange to red, tubular
Native Range and Habitat
Native range: Trumpet creeper is native to eastern, north-central, and south-central portions of the United States and has become naturalized in New England. Its natural range occurs from New Jersey to Ontario and Iowa, and south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat: found in thickets, dry woods, waste grounds, railroads, disturbed sites, clearings, and along roadsides and fence rows
Growing Trumpet Creeper
Growing Tips: The plant grows in wet to dry soils and sand, loam, or clay soil types with a pH range of 3.7 to 6.8. If not controlled, rampant growth can become a problem. Vines should be thinned throughout the growing season and cut back in winter to prevent aggressive spread.
Typically propagated by cuttings, it readily roots and develops new suckers that allow the species to grow rapidly.
Seeds are prepared for germination by stratifying them in moist sand for 60 days at 40°C and 30% relative humidity.
Warning: Contact with the leaves and flowers of trumpet creeper results in skin redness and swelling in mammals. It is also slightly toxic if ingested.
Another vine: Virginia Creeper
Attracts These Animals
Attracts: The tubular flowers and large quantities of nectar produced by trumpet creeper are attractants for hummingbirds and butterflies. The vines also provide habitat to ants.
Host plant to: Trumpet Vine Sphinx Moth
More Native Plants to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies
Spring Blooming Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds