Campsis radicansTrumpet Vine

Campsis radicans, the Trumpet Vine, is a vigorous deciduous climber that hauls itself up masonry and timber on aerial roots and carries terminal clusters of orange to scarlet trumpet flowers right through summer. Pinnate foliage gives it a light, ferny look that belies how strongly it grows.

Given a substantial structure it will cover a pergola or a long boundary fence within a few seasons; given a light trellis it will pull it down, so the support is part of the specification.

Specifications

• Height8 to 12 metres as a climber
• Width3 to 5 metres
• Native toSouth-eastern United States
• FoliagePinnate leaves with toothed mid-green leaflets; deciduous, with modest yellow autumn colour
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates most soils; prefers well-drained loams and flowers more freely in leaner ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade; flowers best in full sun
• WaterLow to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in temperate, warm temperate and subtropical regions; frost hardy

Additional Features

• FlowersTerminal clusters of orange to scarlet trumpet flowers from early summer to autumn
• UsesIdeal for pergolas, arbours, sound walls and boundary fences where a heavy, fast cover is wanted
• SpacingPlant 2 to 3 metres apart along a structure
• Low MaintenancePrune hard in late winter to control size and to concentrate flowering on new wood
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient
• Drought ToleranceEstablished plants flower well on very little supplementary water
• Wildlife AttractionNectar-rich flowers draw bees and, in its native range, hummingbirds

The Trumpet Vine is the choice where a large, hot structure needs covering fast and a strong flower colour is wanted with it.