PlantFiles: Trumpet Vine, Trumpet Creeper, Cow-Itch Vine
Campsis radicans

Trans-Planted this thing after it took over the vynl siding at the front of our house. Planted it against an above ground pool hoping for some privacy vines IF it survived the trans-planting. Well, it loved the spot! After three yrs., vines were growing over the pool railing and reaching for the pool water. We also began to notice some "lines" under the bottom of the pool vinyl. That's right! The da** thing was "rooting" under our pool! Dug it out two years ago and it is STILL growing from under the pool cover. Applied several doses of roundup to the roots I dug up and the "sprouts" that were showing up all over the lawn around the pool. Now it's a waiting game to see how long it can survive our attacks. Moral of the story....Be VERY careful of where you plant this lovely bush. You know how male black widow spiders are attracted to the female? You also know what she does to them! That's what the trumpet vine does to adoring fans.

I could not have said it any beyyer then Pat_in_Michigan.
I ordered this monster 4 years ago. I did not know about it then. Well it is a monster that has took over. All this year I have been digging up the roots & this thing still comes up all over my yard. I poured round up on it & I think it did kill the big tree like vine but there's more coming up. GRRRRRRRRRRRR I hate this thing!

I have nothing but positive comments on the Red Trumpet Vine. On my property, it is leaning on a wooden fence/wall, growing between a rock retaining wall and the cement driveway. It has been there for decades, get a regular winter pruning, and comes back like regular in the late spring. It is not invasive in this area or at least in my yard. The only exception is the occasional sprout a few feet away, but they're very wimpy shoots I can pull out. I think it gets there from me being careless about clippings in the late fall/winter.

The hummingbirds and honeybees love it. I like providing for he wildlife. Plus, it contrasts nicely with the deep blue/purple hydrangea bush right below it. PLUS, the neighbor's lilac hibiscus shrub also attracts hummingbirds. I think it's not invasive if it is placed properly.

This plant was growing along the fenceline on the west side of my house when we moved in here over 20 yrs. ago, zone 9b/10a in East Central FL. I gave it a positive rating mainly because the Hummingbirds LOVE it! It also makes a good privacy screen.....my neighbor's house on the west side sits very close to mine. It has since worked it's way from my house near the front of the property almost to the back, (in a northerly direction) about 150', but hasn't tried to grow along the fence in the other direct, for some strange reason. It blooms all winter here and becomes a huge mass of bright orange color.

I am one of those who react badly to this plant, but only if I get all up in it and prune a bunch of it. It apparently is a reaction that I developed over time because the first time it happened was several yrs. into living here and I'd pruned it numerous times before this. But this one time I'd been pruning it for about an hour when I suddenly broke out in hives all over my body, even the bottoms of my feet!!.....and I also had trouble breathing. I almost had to call 911 but the benadryl finally kicked in and it subsided.

I have not had near the trouble with this plant that others have reported.....it hasn't tried to come up or grow anywhere but along the fence for me. It does need a good heavy pruning, done in the spring after it quits blooming. A few yrs. ago I tried to get one growing on the east side, outside of my kitchen window, so I could watch the Hummers while doing dishes! It got a lot of shade there though, and never did much growing or blooming. I left it there for 3 or 4 yrs. and finally pulled it up.....by then it had sent out some runners maybe 7-10' from the main plant but I pulled them up at the same time and never saw any more of it. My back yard is wide open so it would be easy for it to spread outwards but it hasn't. After reading all the previous negative reports, I would think I'm talking about a different plant.....but it looks EXACTLY like all the pictures. Maybe I just happened to get one that minds it's manners?....lol!

EXTREMELY INVASIVE - BUYER BEWARE! Unfortunately, we're having a negative experience with our trumpet vine which was planted many years ago by a former owner. Although the flowers are beautiful and attract hummingbirds, it's actually more like something from a science fiction movie. Obviously, this should never have been planted where it is on our property. It has completely invaded garden areas and lawn that are 15-20 feet from the main plant, whose vines are like a solid tree trunk. Within the last couple of years we've realized that we're in trouble with this thing, and now after reading notes from others I'm worried that we'll be unable to kill it. There is no way to stay on top of the constant cutting back of the multiple shoots and vines that appear everywhere. I appreciated reading advice from other gardeners about how to try to get rid of this invasive vine which we plan to do ASAP. It even thrives despite our harsh winters. My best advice is to never plant one of these, as it has a life of its own!

This plant grows wild along the fence-rows in the country, where I live. I was seriously considering transplanting some of the trumpet vine from the "wild" to my property, but after reading these "horror" stories, I think I'll just admire it as I drive down my road to go to work! My hummingbirds can continue to drink from my feeders...

My note is neutral because I just obtained some cuttings and seed pods today because I love the color of the blooms. Plus, there was some growing at my parents' farm which was recently sold.

It grows all over East Texas and I think it will be very pretty on a trellis behind my butterfly bush which has beautiful purple blooms. I will post comments when and if I can get it to grow in my yard.

So far, I am excited about adding more color and providing another source to attract birds and butterflies to our back yard.

Does anyone know why it is called cow-itch?

Hello-

I recently moved into a home that has a trumpet vine growing in the foundation planting near the front door. It is relatively newly planted, as it still has the 'tags' on it from Lowe's. After reading the horrendous way it consumes gardens, and lives, should I pull it now?

I am also wondering, my impression I got from reading all of the comments about this behemoth, is that is seems to be 'invasive' in the south. Am I relatively safe, living here in Washington state? Honestly, I am not sure what zone I am in, but we are quite temperate in this Puget Sound area.

Has anyone any experience in the north with this plant? The variety, or cultivar, is "Madame Galen". Any advice, suggestions as to what to do? Thanks so much! Dara

I am doing the Trumpet Vine dance for sure...it just popped up 3 yrs ago all by itself along my back fence. It placed itself in a spacial area that was actual great for viewing this beautiful but hell-acious twining vine. It has wrapped itself around itself about 3 or 4 times and looks quite good from afar. It seemed to be under control the first few years but NOW OH NO! It is popping up everywhere and ruining our wooden fence by spreading through the spaces. My husband thinks it's pretty. But he isn't out there cutting it back and cutting it back and cutting it back! This is the summer it has decided to take over North Dallas. I have noticed a number of seedlings popping up in my yard now..they are difficult to uproot so I generally just cut them down. But I have beautiful crepe myrtles in my along my fence and I am very afraid it will kill them. I suppose I will order some of that vine killer off the internet as someone else did and drill holes into the base of it. It is really huge and I have cut it back to a type of canopy..really pretty but scary at the same time.

I checked "Neutral", but only because this vine is not for the "feint of hear", you MUST pay attention to what is't doing. DON'T get it anywhere near a shrub, tree, bush, roof, of anykind what so ever,.,
Ok..those kinds of words to me mean" stick it in an "above" ground planter like an old wheelbarrrow, kids swimming pool, sandbox or ...be prepared to prune UNMERCIFULLY BIG OLD CHAINE SAW wROKS FOR ME RIGHT NOW ! Any one you don't feel like you d'eail mehave to go for the warribng,

Plant it where you can control it away from flowerbeds and buildings! The grandparents had it growing up a telephone pole. The parents had it growing on the garage (a mistake). I've got one (a descendant) that has been growing on the mailbox for fifteen years. I trim it back to the main branches (some as thick as your arm) each spring and lop off any unruly shoots during the season.

Lots of volunteers, from seeds and from the roots. But I just mow them off. The flowers are gorgeous and the hummingbirds love them!

OK, I am going to be the first to admit this:

I can't grow a trumpet vine. It doesn't grow where I live, not even in direct sunlight, and I've tried 6 different sources, all of them were the invasive "uncultivated" versions.

Even if one believes a native can't be invasive--just because it's native in one place doesn't mean it is next door. For instance, in NH, it is native in only 1 county. In VT, it's not native at all. Here in IL, it is native in many counties but not in the one where I live. If the seeds get blown into the next county, it is then invasive even by that definition. I was given these seeds and may start one in a container on the porch but may just throw them out.

I bought an older home that already had trumpet vine growing around the house, which at FIRST we thought looked quite charming. No more! We have a very low deck and each year it comes up from under it and crawls up the side of my house to the roof pushing up the deck boards and ripping up the siding and gutters in its path. It has invaded the other sides of the house as well and made its way into our lawn. To add to the insult it only gave me one flower for all of the trouble it has caused! We tried digging it up but after a three foot trench around the house and endless 1' by 6" inch tubers and roots of it that we yanked out with MUCH work we gave up. There is still more of this creature spreading its tenticles around my gardens. I have planted heather and russian sage and other invasives and am hoping to choke out the vine. Err!!!

This is my first post on DG, and I must admit to really appreciating the wisdom and the wacky humor of DGers!!!

As far as Campsis Radicans grows, here are my thoughts:
- I planted a (bought) vine on the west side of a second story deck as I wanted to create summer shade over the doors/windows. 3 years later, it's still barely 5 feet over the railing.
- That's OK, as the narrow evergreens are starting to come up over the railing for the shade issue, but I must admit to loving the hummingbirds that now grace the deck!
- There are no suckers, or anything at the base. Maybe our winters are the controlling factor (we are 30 miles south of Lake Erie, in northwest PA).
- On the other hand, a neighbor has a vine that crawls up to the 3rd story each summer and never blooms.

I actually love the vine but I have had it for three years and it has never bloomed!

Two little comments I'd like to make to comments I've read here:
1) Please consider using a natural plant killer instead of Round-up or any other chemicals that are bad for the environment. Salt pellets, such as used in water softeners, work wonders. Dig up as much of the "mother" plant's root system as you can, then put the salt in there. It will travel through the root system and kill of much of the original plant. It will actually kill anything it touches so be careful to place the salt away from plants you want to keep. For hardy plants, a second treatment is sometimes required.

2) Regarding the alternative recipe suggestion for hummingbird feeders, please consider using raw sugar rather than white sugar. The reason sugar is white is because it's bleached - yes, bleach, as is chlorine - which is as bad for birds as it is for people and the environment.

Thanks,
Just another tree-hugger :-)

From reading many of your bad experiences with this potentially nasty invader. may I suggest trying Campsis grandiflora 'Morning Calm. I have one here in Japan zone 9, it is far less invasive than most other trumpet vines and flowers orange pink from late May to
early October. Like most vines it requires good firm support and
regular pruning. Prefers a neutral or slightly acidic soil, best in full sun or partial shade. It has never self propagated from seed in my garden, that I am aware of but if you weed on a regular basis as I do then perhaps you'd never know. I do hope this is helpful to those of you that love
the flowers but hate the habit!

This palnt looks so good in pictures but i don't think i'm going to grow it know since it's so invasive.

I planted a trumpet vine between a wall and a sidewalk about 7 years ago and trained it up and over the edge of the garage roof and over my arched doorway. People often stop on the street to say how pretty it is. It attracts hummingbirds as they pass through in spring and fall.

In my area it blooms from Feb.-Nov. When the leaves fall off, I prune it back a little so it isn't spreading across the roof. I have found that it is not interested in going under the shingles; because of the lack of light, I guess. It does like to attach itself to the painted eaves, but it can be pulled away easily. Any remaining holdfasts can be lightly sanded and painted over and it looks as if they were never there. Last year it made its way under the sidewalk and began putting up shoots in the yard. I mow/mulch them along with the grass.

All in all, I love trumpet vine for its beauty and hardiness. I haven't found it to be too invasive to deal with.

When we bought our current home I was so excited to see the vines on the chain link fence, now a year later I am sick because of the damage they have done to the fence and my neighbors garage. The vine has knocked the caps off the base posts at the corners of the fence, it has created much damage just to the fencing structure itself. My neighbor took a chain saw and cut the vine back to the top of our fence, a month later and the vine is back on his garage roof and into the soffits! As beautiful as the flowers are it is the most invasive plant I have every dealt with. It has taken over my back yard and am now finding shoots 300 feet away. My neighbor and I will be cutting this beast down during the winter and in the early spring will be digging in my garden to find the roots and will give them a boost of weed killer. Of course we will have to put the fence back together, too! I may try replanting this beast in a contained pot and see what happens. It is beautiful!

We are renters in a house with a large trumpet vine "tree" on a chain link fence. For the people that say it is hard to get it to grow or that it is easy to keep on top of, I really feel that it must be a relatively new plant (ie. younger than five years old). I say this because it seems that while the beginning life of this plant seems no problem and then easy to keep on top of - eventually it becomes a darn hydra! Every time you cut off one root, eight more spring up in its place!!! I have now found serious (in other words bigger than my husband's thumb!) sprouts on the opposite side of my house from the darn plant. It gets everywhere. It is in BOTH of my neighbor's yards and I spend at least one to two hours EVERY week hacking away at the various sprouts that pop up everywhere. I often need to bring a small hack saw to get the "root" cut back and that is not the real root - I can't even find that! I spray it with the strongest stuff I can find at Home Depot and it laughs at me. I am a little nervous now when I hear leaves rustling at night and often check on my children expecting to find trumpet vine sprouting up in their bed. They are seriously trying to take over the world and are winning. In all seriousness, no matter what you think about it being easy at first, once it really gets a foothold you will never win. It will conquer your yard, house, and neighborhood. Please think at least five times before even thinking about buying this thing. And then buy something else. Kudzu would be preferable to this stuff!!

Wow, I thought it was just me! We first purchased this plant to use as a screen for very high lattice under a deck. I was drawn to it specifically because it supposedly attracts hummers. In the 2 years we lived at that house, it spread but not so that I realized how invasive it would become. We built a new house and turned that house into rental property. Not realizing the invasive qualities of the plant, I again allowed my husband to buy a couple more and use them to run on an arbor over a swing. By the time we had lived in the new house a couple years, I began fighting the battle. Pulling up runners, dosing it with roundup, cutting it back severly with hedge clippers. My husband never acknowledged my fight. We have since sold both houses. When we went back to the 1st house after our tenants moved out, I was astounded by the aggressive growth of that original plant. It had killed a bank of junipers, ran under the stairwell down the bank, was coming up between, around and over the stairs and invaded the roses and shrubs on the opposite side. I cut it back as best I could and we sold the house. We have also sold the new house, moved to a new area and recruited a landscape designer, one of her questions was 'what plant(s) do you not like?". I only had 1 to say NO to: the trumpet vine! What a legacy I have left for those 2 poor unsuspecting homeowners.

I am trying to rid my yard of this awful plant. It's a curse on the garden. It was planted at my house somewhere between 1958 and 1965 so "Audrey" is older and more established than I am. I'm not sure if I will win this battle.

It traveled under my solid cement front stoop. It is growing in 8 places right now. Considering it's been around so long I think it's been taking tips from terrorist supporting countries that build their base camps near schools with children. Every place it comes up is next to a plant I can't bear to harm. (my two old roses, and some very healthy azaleas)

Please, anyone thinking of planting this weed - Stop!
Buy a nice clematis or some harmless marigolds. Save yourself the lifelong battle.

Mine is growing on a sturdy fence in a strip between the fence and a concrete walk so, as someone else said, it's sort of naturally restricted. It does try to take over the world, growing out every which way, but is fairly easy to control with constant pruning of the more aggressive creepers. It froze hard two winters ago and had to be cut way back and lost all its leaves; last year the leaves came back and this year it's blooming again. The hummingbirds in my yard love it.

I had this in a pot on my patio when we lived in a condo and although it had plenty of leaf growth, it never bloomed. Last spring, I planted it in a hill garden which is several feet behind the house. It had 1 bloom. this year it's coming up again and so far it's only growing in the hole that I planted it in. When I saw a note indicating it attracts Japanese Beetles, I felt sick. Those beetles tried to destroy my rose bushes last year and the last thing I want to do is attract them with little orange calling cards. Thankfully it's just beginning to grow and is only about 12" high. After reading the rest of the plant file information on this plant, I'm truly regretting the day I bought it. When I get home from work tomorrow, I'm going to dig it up, put it in a garbage bag, add some weed killer, throw it away and hope I caught it before it got a stronghold on my garden.

It's huge and grows all along the border between our house and the next. We've cut if way back, but it continues to grow and grow. Pretty and the hummingbirds seem to like it - but it's HUGE!!

My husband and I have two trumpet vines on our property since moving into our house last summer. Sadly, the previous homeowners were extreme nature lovers and let every plant on the property careen outta control (because it was "natural") and these vines were suffering for a good pruning. So we did that and now they're a treat to have.
Our house used to be a horse corral and so we have these iron pipe fences around our property. In the back are these two vines, all by their lonesome, and that's how they like to be. Yes, these vines are invasive, so keep one step ahead of them. If you are adamant about having one of these vines, please plant it in a nice secluded area, away from neighboring trees and your house or other wall (unless you'd like to have it grow there). That's why I am putting a positive on this plant because we have them planted so that they are by themselves and can do what they want. They also make a great privacy screen and that's what my husband and I are shooting for. Sadly, they do beckon ants. But I've never seen so many hummingbirds around as I did last year when they were in full bloom. Smell good too.
As far as rashiness...I was all over in them last year and I came away clean (but maybe that's just me). So just be careful where you plant and keep 'em pruned.

I have been nursing my two plants for 5 years. Last year was the first year that there any flowers of note. the bees went mad after it. The large tublar flowers are very showy. In my area it's more of a long caned shrub than a true vine. I've been trying to entice it to grow up the columns of our west facing porch. It's extremely slow growing, non invasive and a bit maddening as others report how fast this plant grows. It has no shade from noon on and is on a drip irrigation system.

I haven't had one in 15 years, and I'd love to get another. I tried a start from someone's, and it didn't take, which rather surprised me, since I thought they were quite easy to start from cuttings.

When I had mine before I moved, it crawled up a big pine tree, too, like someone else here mentions. It was absolutely beautiful. I never had problems with it spreading, but that may be dumb luck since I planted it in a sunken plastic cargo container. If it is as invasive as suggested by some, I think I'd recommend planting it in a container sunken into the soil. I do that with a lot of my plants.

I do not like them, Sam -I-am!
I do not like Campsis radicans.
Do not plant them here or there--
Do not plant them any where!!
(with profound and sincere apologies to Dr. Seuss)

The original plants are located over 150 feet at the south end of my block in a line of cedar trees. In my twenty-year nightmarish battle with this tenacious invasive I have seen it come up between the concrete and foundation of the neighbor's garage apartment, crack the concrete and cinderblock retaining wall around the outdoor storm cellar, and the roots have cracked both the walls and floor of the outdoor storm cellar. I have replaced the fence along the alley twice. I have had to take out two mature trees. This year I will most likely lose my 9 foot tall, twenty year old Damascus roses to it because the vines have been coming up at the roots and strangling them. My eight foot Midas Touch succumbed last year. The vines haven't come up in my Don Juans, but it's only a matter of time.
And the roots apparently go down to China.

As for the hummers...1 part white sugar to 4 parts water, boil 15 minutes. Do NOT add red food coloring. Replace every 2 to 3 days. They love it.

I love the look of the plant and flowers, but it is way too invasive, comes up all through the yard by underground runners and we haven't come up with a way to contain it. I keep digging up the runners and/or spraying them with woody brush killer, it does help some without killing the main plant but OMG.lol
Kathy

I like the vine because it seems to bloom all the time and butterflys are constantly zooming all over it. I have the vine next to my driveway in front of a background of Cabbage palms. It is as invasive as any other vine and is probably better at home oin a large place where it can get full sun.

4 years ago we planted trumpet vine at various locations along a fence along with clematis and wisteria. Goal was to hide the fence and compete with extremely invasive asian climbing vine which is impossible to completely get rid of and also spread by birds eating its berries. The plan has worked for the most part but of the 3 vines trumpet vine grew the slowest and was the last vine to flower. But so far would do it again. Hoping to get more hummingbirds from it over time. The orange flower variety grew substantially faster than the yellow.

Update 11/2008
6th year produced many flowers on 1 plant that gets the most sun. A true hummingbird magnet, but absolutely essential to plant in a "safe" place where it can take over and go wild.

I absolutely HATED having this vine in my yard! I like seeing the pretty blooms, anywhere else. But I battled this weed for almost 20 years and never could get rid of it. Weed killer, breaking it off every time it would grow, etc. Once it grows big enough, there is almost no way to get that root out of the ground, and if any is left, it continues to grow!

It would grow on the side of my house and dig in to the paint and when it does that, there's no getting it off except for pulling the paint off too. Even when I finally put siding on my house, it grew behind the siding and up. I hate the stuff and would never plant it.

A friend wanted to grow some, and after warning her, I brought her some young plants but she was never able to get them to grow. How about that?

ehh, I gotta put neutral because I do like the flowers and all but the thing is so invasive! It attracts fire ants here and it is near impossible to kill. We have it completly covering our chicken pen and my grandmother has tried every legal herbacide to get rid of it, it just won't die!

I love this vine, the flowers are beautiful and it can cling to lattice or whatever so you don’t have to tie it up and baby it. I don’t consider it more invasive than most other vines I have grown.
I am actually surprised to see that people dislike this plant, and I am shocked that it causes skin reactions in some people; I have never had any kind of reaction to it.

I was wondering, in Alabama we have a vine called the Cow-itch Vine that grows out of control. Is the Trumpet Vine or Hummingbird Vine the same thing as the Cow-itch Vine.

This plant was already growing on a steep bank on our property, probably planted by a previous owner that thought it would eliminate mowing the bank. Unfortunately it spread rampantly to the grassy areas and started growing into the siding of the house, causing damage on removal. It also looks very messy sprawling over the bank.

I keep cutting it back but it keeps coming up. The spread of this plant is over 500 square feet. Last year I tried to dig out the root that went towards the house, following a shoot into the ground. I gave up when I got two feet down and still hadn't found the main root.

Last week I sprayed every part I could see with poison ivy killer. I plan to repeat at weekly intervals two more times, then cover the whole thing with black landscape fabric for a season before planting ornamentals.

I would not recommend the plant at all. It spreads even more effectively than poison ivy. It is the single most invasive plant I've ever dealt with. If it's bees, butterflies or hummingbirds you want, there are so many better and more manageable choices to bring them in. If you feel you must plant this vine anyway, take extreme measure to control the spread. I would recommend a 2+ foot deep physical barrier to discourage the roots from spreading.

TRUMPET VINE CAN PENETRATE ASPHALT DRIVEWAY!!!

My neighbor, who has since moved, planted a trumpet vine 6 yrs. ago on our property line. It was placed about 2 feet from my cement driveway. Her intentions were to attract hummingbirds. That's nice, I thought.

Anyway, my cement driveway was cracking so I had it removed and replaced with a new asphalt driveway about 7 months ago.

To my dismay, 3 days ago my wife found a 10" long shoot from this trumpet vine that had pushed itself right up through the new asphalt. It left the asphalt looking like a mini volcano had erupted from it. So much for the nice new driveway look.

I dug around the host plants base to see if I could remove the vine but main root seems to be disappearing under the new driveway. Nice, huh? To top it off, the vine seems like it’s heading in the direction of our brand new addition.

I really didn't know anything about this beast so I scoured the Internet for some insight. What I found were many first hand accounts describing the aggressive/ destructive nature of this Beast.

* Spreads up to 40-50 ft from host plant
* Strangles plants, trees
* Invades gardens, robbing them of nutrients
* Ants love this plant
* Crawls up houses and gets under siding. Rips gutters from house
* Causes skin irritation in some cases
* Many, many more negatives

This research has led me to two conclusions. First, this plant should not be sold without explicit written instructions as to where it should be planted to reduce potential damage to their the purchasers and others property. (I never would have thought it could punch a hole up and through asphalt)

Secondly, local governments should enact zoning laws prohibiting this vine to be planted anywhere close (at least 50 ft) to another’s property.

I'm sure my ex-neighbor didn't realize what a Pandora's box this would turn out to be but she's gone now and I'm stuck with the problem. If she were provided with detailed information about the veins destructive tendencies I would bet she would not have selected it.

I have not read anywhere on the web that this vine could penetrate asphalt driveways so I thought I'd let all of you know of just how aggressive this innocent looking plant can be.

If you're thinking about planting this near your house or someone else's property, you’d better think twice about it. This vine is NOT WORTH IT. There are different vines out there to choose from that don't cause anywhere as much havoc and destruction.

If you already planted it near something you care about whether it be the house, shed, tree, whatever, I'd suggest that you kill the vein before it's too late. The longer you wait, the more it spreads and the more difficult it will be to kill.

I purchased 2 vine control products to hopefully get rid of this thing.
Vine-X ® Vine & Brush Control, and Roundup® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus Concentrate.

The battle lines have been drawn and this war has begun. Kill the Beast!

While I understand everyones frustration with this plant. I must point out that C. radicans is a native of the American southeast. If you are a gardener like myself who enjoys natives and trys to keep them in your garden as much as possible, all you need to do is FIND THE CORRECT PLACE. Give Trumpet Vine a more isolated location in you landscape, where their invasiveness will be less of a problem. They work well to cover the base of large oak and pine trees in my landscape and lack of sun does not slow them down. It is very drought tolerant and quite self sufficient . I have to say that the beauty of a C. radicans blanketing the branches of my trees and filling my yard with butterflies, hummers and other birds is worth the little extra effort in maintaining it and keeping it in check.
It should be noted that the Tacoma radicans is an error in taxonomy due to the similarity in flower form of the 2 species. Tacoma as a Genus generally refers to a bush with yellow , sherbet orange or hot pink trumpet shaped flower nearly identical to Campis without asute observation. Tacoma is commonly refered to as "Esperanza."

While I would be very careful with this plant, even here in Zone 5, I was surprised to see that Frank Lloyd Wright had used it at Falling Water in the late 1930's. The better use was in 5' diameter planters on one of the terraces. It was in the ground by the bridge over the creek too, but the soil at the site is very thin so the usual underground spreading is limited. They used Wisteria up at the guest house. I am sure the gardeners were instructed to handle both of them pretty fiercely.

I'd go for a big planter with serious trellising in full sun and prune hard to keep it within bounds and remove all seedpods before they open. Mature plants bloom on new wood so any damage frost or your pruning might do is unlikely to prevent blooming.

I made the mistake 17 years ago planting one of these... no problems until a neighbor planted some also.. they then began producing seeds and coming up everywhere... now they have these tremendous runners that come up everywhere. I spent 3 years trying to kill them...

I have finally had success!

I no longer scream when I see one coming up, I just grin because I know I can kill it. One main trunk does try to send up sprouts each year ... I spray it and walk away.. next day, dead.. and it does not try again for a LOOOOONG time! Here is a pic of the two products I bought and mixed together... I use a little over 1 1/2 times full strength of each mixed in a spray bottle ... careful... it will kill anything it comes in contact with. I use a plastic glove on one hand and cut new sprouts in my grass in that hand and gently spray and rub on the leaves. Then just walk away... it will be dead the next day without damaging the surrounding grass or plants. I did have a big vine come up in a bush... gently pulled it out onto the grass... laid layers of newspapers under it... sprayed it... let dry and took the papers away.. it was dead the next day and just cut it at the base a few days later. some really established ones will take a few sprayings but we finally have control of the monster and it is very easy to maintain the little ones that come up... one squirt and gone!

product 1 Spectracide triple strike grass weed root... grey plastic bottle yellow and green labeling

product 2 Basic solutions by Ortho Grass and weed killer brown plastic bottle with white, yellow and red label

We bought two small starts of this vine about 5 years ago, and planted it on an isolated 4x8 trellis in our back yard. It grew to the top the first year, though one of the vines was clipped off by rabbits. It blooms consistently from early June though July. I trim it back to the trellis each fall, and it is one of the earliest plants to green up in our yard. I have not had any problems with runners, but it is surrounded by grasses that are mowed regularly. This makes a great privacy barrier, and the flowers are beautiful.

Oh my gosh, what can I say that hasn't already been said. We purchased the acre next door to us from an older man that spent hours & hours in his yard. I had seen the trumpet vines bloom a few times over the years, but never knew how intrusive THEY were until we began trying to weed out some of them. The man literally had vines that he purposely hung by wire covered with water hose thru trees, across roofs, under/over porches, everywhere! This past weekend we attempted to cut some from a tree that is dying from this vine. We got a lot of it out by climbing up in the tree some and pulling, and then decided to go for the base of the vine. This root at the ground level is about (I am not kidding) as big around as someone's waist and goes from this tree to 4 of five others, even to the next door neighbor's trees - we had to get the chain-saw to cut it and several other "runners" in two. This vine starting weeping a STEADY drip of clear liquid. I didn't think that much about it at the time, thinking it would stop. We continued our business. Five days later, I went over to check and see how it looked. (I felt sorry for it) This thing is still dripping a STEADY drip. There is a puddle under the end of the vine, and it is trying to heal itself. I became worried that the liquid might be toxic to our cats or other animals if they drank it, so yesterday, I covered the end of it tightly with a plastic bag and taped it over. In the meantime, I have discovered numerous other vines, though not so big, everywhere in the yard, and it is trying to invade my vegetable garden. I cannot imagine wanting to plant this thing on purpose. It only blooms every few years and it kills BIG healthy trees....and takes over everything in it's path.

I like this plant and have 4 growing up and over a pergola along with mutabilis rose. The birds like it too. I usually mow down the new sprouts since they almost always come up outside of the bed where the plants are.

This plant, along with every other plant can be useful if planted in the right spot. In my opinion, it should ONLY be used to grow up a sturdy, fixed height arbor or trellis in a planting island surrounded by concrete with no other plants. It has the ability to grow when all other climbing vines fail.
As a professional landscaper, it is possible although not easy to eradicate. Round-up will work it you can spray at the right time of year (after foliage is about a month or two old with no flowers yet) There must be enough foliage to spray;
you must spray enough foliage to equal the root mass of the plant. If to little foliage, the roots will not absorb enough of the chemical. For the organic hippies out there, it is also possible to eradicate a mature plant with out round-up. To do this, you must innitially remove ALL above-ground vegetation. Then every week for the next 2 or 3 growing seasons, you must remove ALL root or stem shoots. Eventually, the root system will run out of energy. If you wait too long in-between visits and the leaves unfurl, the plant will have a chance to replenish energy to its root system. Physical removal MUST be done every week.

I saw a beautiful specimen in No. California when I lived there. It was amazing and wonderful.

My mother had this growing in her yard, but it never bloomed (shade). She warned that I really had to WANT this plant if I took some. She said "beware, don't say I didn't warn you."

I found volunteers all over her back patio area, so I took some and I've planted it along my chain link fence.

They have bloomed in less than 3 years. I pruned it back hard during a fluke warm day we had recently.

So far, I don't have runners. I've caught it trying a couple of times. I plan on "spading" around the base of each this spring to prevent long underground runners. (as recommended by someone on this forum!)

I've ordered a yellow variety for an area that has horrific clay soils in a remote area.

I've found it to be well mannered, SO FAR. Although, I saw what it did in my mothers patio area.

Wish me luck!

I hate this vine. It's already killed some of my trees. I've tried everything from cutting it down to the ground to weed killers. I've even dug up as many bulbs as I can and burned the parts that I can't pull out with a torch and it still comes back. This vine has taken over my yard. It covers the fence around my property and even the back of my house. I've cut and pulled the vines as high as I can reach but the vines on top of trees still kept growing. I finally climbed up there and found that roots along the vine were growing into the tree trunk. If you seed this vine pull it out before it takes over.

Ok, I want to report some success in killing trumpet vine. I had a rather insidious one that was very well established growing up a tree in my yard. Yes, the flowers (way way up in the tree) were lovely but the suckers in my bedding and yard were a nightmare. I searched the web for a "kill method" and tried several, including soaking the suckers in pure RoundUp (which the plant actually seemed to like). I finally happened upon a product called Vine-X on the web. I was understandably skeptical but desparate for a solution. None of my local garden shops carried it so I ordered it online. Because my vine had about a 2 inch diameter stem, I ordered the large stem version. You apply it with a brush and I did two fairly heavy applications about 10 days apart to the stem as low as I could reach to as high as I could reach. I expected to need to reapply in the spring as my application was during a typically dormant (November) season. Good news is that so far, so good. The vine appears dead and is actually falling of the tree. So far, no suckers, which is a miracle to me, in and of itself. Just a suggestion for those who are as desparate as I was for a solution. Don't know if it would work for everyone but it did for me.

Trumpet Vine, Trumpet Creeper, Cow-Itch Vine Campsis radicans is native to Texas and other States.

I planted two of these vines on either side of my driveway on my carport roof support. On the plus side hummingbirds really seem to like them. On the negative side, they are usually full of ants. My husband and daughter hate them because unless trimmed they stick out into the carport and scratch up the cars. Once trimmed, they seem to bush out even worse. One of the vines has climbed up a tree next to the carport and is about 20 feet high. I have shoots coming up on the other side of yard about 10 feet from the original vine. I do like the vine, I just wish I had planted it somewhere else!

My husband and I saw this plant when we were on our honeymoon. They have it planted at the Biltmore in Ashville, NC. We thought that it was beautiful. After we bought our house, I found it at a local nursery. We planted it at the corner of our house in the fall, it was just a little stick with a root. By the end of the next summer we had a beautiful vine growing along side our house. Three summers later, it was flowering. We pruned it every spring and fall. We started noticing that it was sprouting up in the flower bed and then the front yard. It was climbing up under the front porch roof. We were trimming it monthly along with mowing it down in the grass. Two weeks after cutting sprouts down in the garden it would be growing again. Last spring we cut the whole thing down to about a foot off the ground. My husband drilled holes in the top of the trunk and we filled it with stump killer. The stump pulled out a couple of weeks later and we thought that it was done with. I think that it was actually worse last summer than anyother year. Our neighbor has one growing on the side of his fence in the back. We didn't know that he had one when we bought ours. We were not having trouble with it at the time. Now it is growing through the fence and under the fence. It is growing up through weedcloth and 4 inches of mulch in our childrens play area. The vines creep along the ground and root themselves into the mulch if not cut. It is growing up in the hedges in the neighbor on the opposite side of us. We are planning on digging up the front flower beds and using vegetation killer on everything because it is growing up in the plants that are there. We are also digging up the mulch in the play area and spraying that area, putting 4 layers of weed cloth and replacing the mulch with playground stones. It is a beautiful plant but not worth the labor and money to get rid of it, if you can.

My husband and I purchased our trumpet vine in hopes of hiding the ugly power pole that our energy company was kind enough to put in our yard, right next to our driveway. I have very MINIMAL pruning and am thrilled with the beauty of the blooms along with all the birds and butterflies it attracts. I have asked my neighbors if it in anyway bothers them and have received no negative responses. After 8 years, our vine is about 20 feet tall and I would not think of destroying it. The birds love to hide in the leaves all summer and it gives them a place to sit while waiting for their turn at the feeders.

I will celebrate the day that it becomes illegal to sell or plant this vine. Yes, it is pretty in flower, but there are other much prettier vines that are just as attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds (non-invasive honeysuckle cultivars, for instance).

For anyone who plants this and would rate it a positive, I really hope you checked with all your neighbors and they feel as enthusiastic about it as you do. My neighbors have one 5 feet from our property line, near our vegetable plot. It shoots under the ground and pops up everywhere, growing several feet in a matter of weeks. Pulling them is nearly useless, because they just pop right back up. Birds carry the seeds all over, so I even have them growing on the opposite side of my 1/3 acre yard.

Hours of my annual gardening time are spent trying to keep this vine in check. I have tried high concentrations of herbicide to no avail. Even a thick layer of heavy black plastic doesn't stop it. Someday if the world is destroyed by nuclear war and every other living thing is dead, I am quite certain that there will STILL be trumpet vine thriving in my yard.

So, please, do yourself and your neighbor a favor and DO NOT PLANT THIS HORRIBLE WEED!

This plant was on my property when I bought it over 7 years ago. It grows along my fence line (away from my house). We cut it back every year and so far it seems to stay where it is.

We love it because it keeps our yard full of hummingbirds!

Zone 8b

Let me tell you about what we call the "cow itch vine" here in Alabama: I am not sure about what kind of blooms this thing has, but if your vine has a fuzzy surface on the main trunk of the vine then BEWARE!! This thing is worse that poison oak if you pull on the fuzzy trunks of these vines when trying to remove it (not sure if the leaves will get you as well) If you see a thick fuzzy vine (usually 1/4" to 3/4" wide, but sometimes more) and it is very tightly attached to a pine or other tree, in such a way that it would be difficult to pry it off of the tree (like it has hundreds of "fingers" that grip the bark on the back side), then WATCH out. We clear a lot of brush here in Alabama, and I hate this thing worse that poison oak! Did I mention that I HATE this vine?

I saw the reddish-orange blooms..and cringed!!!! My neighbors "LOVE" the vine! I tolerated it as long as I could.When the Japanese Beetles and Whiteflies began to take over..I said, Enuff is Enuff!! Snipped the "mother" vines..and thank goodness the beast is dying..Good riddance and take the nuisance pests with you!!!

I'm on the fence with this plant. Actually, the plant is on the fence too. And on my trees, and my neighbor's trees, and his neighbor's trees...

A neighbor planted this in their backyard. It slowly creeped up into my backyard. The flowers are wonderful and we attract lots of bees and hummingbirds. Recently, the vine has filled up several trees and the branches are now hanging down low enough for my dog to pull on them. They started to block my star jasmine from getting sun so I decided to trim it back a bit.

I was on my roof adjusting my antenna and noticed how far this vine had spread. It looks like it is in about 6 backyards. This makes for a great privacy plant, but I'm afraid it's going to kill everything in my backyard soon. I have not noticed any runners at all, but I'm keeping my eye out.

I read a few comments on here about the trumpet vine never blooming for them. This plant has no problem here. It has been blooming for about 9 months straight now. It's not uncommon for my tomato plants to produce through December, so we'll see if this vine can stick it out for a full year!!

My trumpet vine has probably had about 15 blooms total in the 10+ years I've had it. Some years no blooms at all, but always lots of vine and greenery; you can almost watch it grow. I have moved it to other areas around my house - thinking more sun, etc., still no blooms and, of course, it comes back in full force where I dug it up, even though I 'thought' I got it all. While I don't hate it, I have found it to be a disappointment.

Some people think that a native plant can never be called "invasive", but that's mixing up terms. Virginia creeper is not an "exotic" invasive, but it certainly can be a "native" invasive if it chokes and kills trees, or squeezes out all other vegetation in an area.

Some people think an "invasive" or "rambunctious" plant won't be a problem if they themselves are going to plant it in a place where it won't get out of control.

Well, even if it may not cause trouble for YOU, take note when you see trees in your area being leveled by vines.

So please think twice before planting something that many people in your area consider an invasive.

Campsis x tagliabuana 'Madame Galen' Trumpet Vine and Campsis grandiflora 'Morning Calm' Chinese Trumpet Vine are improved versions and not as aggressive as Campsis radicans. Not evergreen here, and needs 2-3 years to get used to its spot before starting to grow well. Hummingbirds love it, and so do I.

I have 2 plant I put in 6 years ago, never bloomed or spred.. I put another in this year and it is still not even 2in high.. i know it grows here in Pa. and well it is everywere .. but it will not grow here.. Maybe thats a good thing after readind all the comments..

This has been a great plant for me in in Phoenix. I have 3 0r 4 that grow as bushes up by the southwest side of my house for shade. They are old plants and kept in trim. I love the hummers. I also have planted one 2 yrs ago on a steel fence for privacy. Just have to be willing to do some trimming.

Slow to start in non-amended soil in zone 5, easy to control here by pruning and edging (as in lawn edging) started mine from seed against southwest facing chain link fence. It gets maximum sun all day. While not needing deep watering I have found it does better here with drip irrigation twice a week and a little Miracle Grow in early spring and mid summer.

Trumpet Creeper is native. I can see where some may call it invasive, but I agree that calling a native plant invasive is not the correct way to characterize this plant. I prefer to use a term I read on a web site which is pro-trumpet creeper (for the sake of the humming birds): trumpet creeper is "rambunctious."

I am somewhat ambivalent about this plant, but give it a "positive" because I think it is a nice native plant that is misunderstood and mis-used.

I have lived with trumpet creeper for the past twenty years. We inherited well-established trumpet creeper from the previous owners of our home on a little over an acre in Zone 9a (Nature Coast of Florida). Much of that timeframe(while I was working full time, raising my children, going to school...) our property was neglected, and the trumpet creeper was left to its own devices.

Wandering: Our trumpet creeper has worked its way from our back yard to the neighbor's five-acre parcel, where it has climbed up some 60-70' pines. It has also climbed up our oaks of varying sizes, and has practically draped several areas of our property as it has worked its way westward mostly, and I am now finding shoots at least 75 feet from the original vine.

Recently I was sitting outside on my doorstoop in the early morning, sipping on hot coffee, and watching a virtual humming bird war overhead, as the birds swooped from vine to vine, all in full bright-red bloom (our vines have always bloomed profusely). I had read somewhere that killing or eradicating trumpet creeper is a little bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water, and that made sense to me. So, I have decided to make peace with our trumpet creeper and try to rein it in, but I do not intend to kill it all or eradicate it; I merely intend to put it back in its place. I do not believe it will be an impossible effort based on the headway I have made so far.

I have cleared some areas that have been draped with overgrowth from our trumpet creeper (and other vines) to find the effort not very tedious or time-consuming. Several hours and a pile of vines later, the area is cleared, and plants that were underneath seem to be alive and in good shape, some even thriving. Having witnessed the resilience of this amazing plant, I do not put the pile of cut vines anywhere near our compost pile, neither do I leave them untended on the ground for long: I promptly burn them!

A lawn mower definitely helps with keeping new shoots cut back. Yes, they will resprout from the roots, but each time seem to be smaller, closer to the ground: I may do more to get rid of these shoots when I have time. The lawn mower is a quick and effective, albeit temporary control.

The vines which have climbed up and lived on our 50-foot or more tall oak these past two decades do not seem to have done the oak any damage at all. The vines that made their way to our concrete block house and started to climb up the walls came off easily but had done damage to the paint. Where the vines have climbed up a tree I do not want them in, I have been able to cut them off close to the base, pull on the vine, and it comes right down with little stress or strain: it does not wrap round and round the base it is growing on like some invasive vines (like air potato) do. Of course, measures have to be taken to keep the roots from regrowing: heavy mulch, herbicide, digging up the roots...

This is a plant that can -- and does -- propagate itself at least four or five different ways: seeds, runners, air layering, layering...

As for skin irritations: I have worked with it with short sleeves and my bare hands and have never noticed any skin irritation from doing so, but then I do not suffer from allergies as a rule.

Recently, I have opened a registered nursery, and I do intend to sell this vine with careful information and instructions about how to handle it and manage it. Trumpet creeper I have potted so far is behaving nicely. Like a spirited child, trumpet creeper, properly managed, is an exciting asset. I would rather have my world with some trumpet creeper in it than not. My five-year-old granddaughter, who along with her siblings and mom lives with me, calls trumpet creeper blooms "honey flowers" and she delights in sipping the nectar from the base of every one she can reach, which is not nearly as many as she would like!

If you elect to plant trumpet creeper, do so with delight: just don't turn your back on it for too long.

I have planted this vine at the side of my mobile with a trellis for it to start to grow on. It has only been in the ground for about two years and does not seem to be growing very well or spreading. Have not checked out the root growth since I stuck it in the ground. All your comments have alarmed me, as I am also fighting with invasive bamboo that no one told me some one had planted a number of years ago; previous owner had just kept chopping it down so that it was not visible.
Will now work to try to remove this vine before it can cause any more problems. Hopefully I have a chance since it has not been in the ground to long(don't snicker).
If I find something that helps kill it I will pass it on to the rest of you who are at your wits end.
Good luck to the rest of you.

This plant grows as a weed in southeastern Louisiana. It is difficult to eradicate because the roots must be removed.

We call it Virginia Creeper here because it grows wild everywhere.
It's pretty when it blooms and has an interesting seed pod, but if it gets in your flowerbed, look out! It's hard to eradicate and will come up everywhere.
Some people get skin irritation from it, use gloves.

To keep my trumpet vines from becoming the "Plant That Ate Cleveland" I keep them well pruned. I like to keep them in a shrub-like form. I read from some gardening book they flower better from new wood. As for the risk of contact dermatitis from Campsis radicans I have not experianced any, but to be careful one could just wear gloves. Besides morning glories, they are a great hummingbird lure.

I wouldn't plant it if I was given it, unfortunately my neighbor has decided it is the *ideal* plant to grow up the power pole in her yard, right next to my fence. It has now reached the top of the pole. Sprouts are shooting up in my shade bed (in the astilbe it's nearly impossible to tell until it gets taller), any small gap in the wood fence and a couple of shoots push through, and it's licking its chops and angling toward my smoke tree... at least I'm not allergic to it (yet).

This is horrible stuff. I have it growing all over the property, and have instucted my husband to mow down every shoot he sees. We had to cut it from the side of the garage with a chainsaw the root was so big! The most effective thing I have found is to cut them while fairly small and immediately spray it with Roundup Tough Brush killer. It seems to have worked so far on the ones that were growing up, around, and finally inside the house. Whew! This stuff is almost as bad as chameleon, but I have had some success killing trumpet vine, and none whatsoever in killing the chameleon.

Unfortunately, I too made the mistake of planting the extremely invasive trumpet vine along my fence which has now made it's way underground and intertwined in every plant in my garden. I am so sad and so desperate to get rid of this garden snatcher . Rather than pull the plant I try to dig a trench and remove a portion of the root (I feel like I'm searching for Bin Laden). I plan on taking up every plant and digging up about a 20' x 20' area to try and cut off the root system. I don't think I have ever hated anything so much in my life more than this invasive plant (except for the war in Iraq).

I wanted one of these for my hummingbird garden collection. Even after reading all the negative ratings, I recently purchased one. I just bought an iron arbor to grow it on. I am hoping this will be sturdy enough to support this heavy vine. I got an idea from another forum to plant it in a five gallon bucket with the bottom cut out. They mentioned that it typically sends out shoots from the side not the bottom. So it should help keep it under control. It needs to be heavily pruned annually to control growth. If you are concerned about damage, it shouldn't be planted near trees, houses or on anything that it can't be controlled by pruning. It has been known to take down trees and walls. I do have to disagree with the comments that it is invasive. I know every one's definition of invasive is different. To me a native plant can't be invasive and this is a native. I purchased mine at the New England Wild Flower Society Garden in the woods in Framingham, MA. They only sell natives and are very against invasive plants and would not sell it if it was. In my mind an invasive plant is, a non-native plant that contributes to the extinction of native plants. Such as the case with japanese honeysuckle. I think very aggressive would be a better discription. I also know that they will not bloom if they do not get full sun, or if the plant is too young. I think the soonest they'll bloom is at 3 and up to 5 years old. So that might be why so many people have not seen them bloom. If they are trying to eradicate it, maybe they only have plants that are less than 3 years old. I am giving it a neutral because I haven't planted it yet. Who knows I might regret planting this years from now, but I am hoping for the best. After reading another post about this being a native invasive not an exotic invasive I feel the need to post the definition of invasive as defined by the NEWFS: Invasive species – a non-native (adventitious) species that is capable of moving aggressively into a habitat and monopolizing resources such as light, nutrients, water, and space to the detriment of other species.

I have trumpet vine running rampant on/in and UNDER my 1/2 acre. I have dug up root sections that were 4" in diameter. I've pulled up 40 foot long sections with a full size excavator. To say this vine is invasive is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

I don't know how long previous homeowners have let this run rampant, but I am sure I will die before this thing is finally eradicated. I've cut down 4 full size maples that this vine strangled to death, and will probably have to take down a big pine tree because the vine grew up the side and it's half dead. Not counting the dozen or so smaller (under 20 foot) trees that faced an untimely demise thanks to this lovely vine.

I am now making trips onto the surrounding properties trying to lop off as much of this thing as I can. I feel like Nixon invading Laos to cut off the supply trails for Ho Chi Minh.

Never saw a flower on any of it, and it sprouts back up the day after you lop it off.

It WILL be the death of me...........

I am confused as to the negative comments on this vine.
We have a number of Trumpet vines trained to cover our pergola. We find them very slow growing and not at all difficult to keep under control. Is it possible that ours in not the same plant. Ours is called Bigonia Cherere or disticitis buccinatoria.

I am SO GLAD I read the comments for this plant. I read somewhere that it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. I have an empty wall in front of my house, and I have been searching for seeds or plants at nurseries and couldn't seem to find any (lucky me). HOWEVER, I hate ants, and I definitely don't want to do damage to my 100 year old home.
Thank you!

Well what can I say, it is a very invasive plant, and thats an understatement! Although it has beautiful flowers and it attracts hummingbirds it also attracts ants. Do not grow this plant unless it can be contained.

Very invasive here in Massachusetts. A friend has this growing in his seaside garden and he is constantly pulling out the runners in his garden beds and lawns. It is impossible to eradicate once it is planted. Avoid!

This sweet little seedling vine that looks so innocent and harmless will grow up to be a 30 foot monster with roots to China. As stated above, pulling it just makes more, as it has the ability to sprout new plants from even the tiniest piece left in the ground.

I do enjoy it along the roadways and covering the abandoned barns, but wouldn't want it on my property...I've got one that I've been trying to kill for the last 5 years, and nothing seems to work.

Has anyone mentioned this is invasive?! LOL I am going to start to try to kill mine off this year. I cut it back to the ground last fall. It is on a back fence line, so where it is coming up in a neighbor's yard will be a problem. My pet rabbits keep it eaten in their large running area. BUT, I have it coming up in my food garden and compost pile. Not a pretty thing.

These do have their place in the garden, if you can keep them contained! Ours (we have seven) have been trained into little 6-7' trees lining our driveway. The people who owned the property before us started them in the late 80's and they are still going strong... Trained on steel fence or hedge posts, and pruned once a year, they pretty much stay where they should. When the seed pods show up, we cut them right away, before they dry and are broadcast all over our yard. Once in a while, an unwanted vine will pop up on the wrong side of the driveway, so we nip it off and spray it. These are quite pretty, but I imagine if we decided to get rid of them permanently, it would be quite a job. I spent two afternoons pruning and trimming, and I didn't break out in a rash or anything of that sort. I did have finches swooping at me trying to get me out of their tree, though.

I've been growing this plant for two years--no blooms yet!

I absolutely love this vine. I have an orange and a red one in my yard. It attracts all kinds of pollinators to my garden and the hummingbirds love it! I have found it pretty easy to control as well. I just pull up the plants that germinate in the summer. It's positive features far out weigh the negative features. Two thumbs up for this great vine!

wow! I just got/planted one today for my 3rd story balcony container garden. It sounds like this might be the only way to grow it. I was hoping for something to twine around the railing and uprights, that might also attract hummers. I'll have to see how it turns out!

This plant is very invasive here in Texas. It gives me a rash and it is a pain in the neck. It has taken me years of trying to get rid of it.

Well plants have to be pretty good for nothing for me to give them a negative. But I can't think of one thing this one is good for. It grows wild, half the time when you want it to bloom it won't and when you don't want it to grow it will and where your need it to it won't so there it is good for nothing. Like an egg sucking dog.
And it is and under ground runner that can sprint faster than a track star. And will be everwhere you don't want it to be...... :o(
Dee

Trumpet Vine experience in Zone 9a, Citrus County, FL

Invasive? Yes. Beautiful? Absolutely.

If you're into sculptured landscapes and well-tended gardens, DON'T plant this, unless you are ready to put lots of time into making it behave. However, if you're like me, and you just love the beautiful colors & the hummingbirds it attracts, and you don't mind the natural, untamed look, and you have an area, away from structures you don't want torn down, then I'd say 'Go for it!'

I had purchased several plants some years ago (I'm thinking 3 or 4). I planted one at the base of a pine tree in my front yard. This one has managed to grow about 10-12' up the tree, and I've only discovered one underground 'runner' coming off of it. As yet, this one has never bloomed, and really seems like it is struggling. However, I had planted a second one in another area of the property. I had combined it with some of the 'native' vines that grow unchecked here in zone 9a, like Pepper Vine. I'd used metal conduit to create a 'teepee' for the vines to cover, intending it to become a vine-covered mound, which I hoped would attract wildlife & birds. Well, it definitely did become a vine-covered mound, although the Trumpet vine had not yet bloomed on it. About 6-8 months ago, darling hubby, out doing his 'yard work', decided the area needed to be cleaned up, and thinking it was just a pile of weeds, tore it all down and mowed the area. LOL...now the Trumpet Vine has found its way to an area about 30' away, and has happily made its home in neighboring palm trees and all along the ground in the vicinity. It literally has covered an area of at least 15'x15'. Much to my delight, I discovered that it is blooming this year too!! I've got to remember to thank hubby! :)

Now, I know where I'll be putting in the other vines I was planning to add for the hummers. I can't wait to see all off them come into bloom!

My one and only plant which was planted in 1989 by a vinyl fence which it never grew up. The fence is too slick for it and it is bound by the drive to my home which is concrete. It also has never bloomed. I love its dark green fern-like foliage and it mounds beautifully by the fence. I don't even nip the runners...I just shove them under the mound and they add themselves to the mound.

I haven't watered it in probably ten years because my watering system doesn't reach that far. We are considered arid here and it survives well. I ignore this plant completely and find it very tolerable here.

A mature red vine was one of the selling points of the house we purchased in '02. Hummers loved it and it was a big, shady beauty on the eastside of the house and garage.
Last year we had to dig the sucker out of the area surrounding the waste out-flow pipe where it knotted roots into the pipe to get nutrients and water. This year the remnants have shot up and I am concerned that the pipe will be blocked again soon since we are having another drought this year.

Removing the vine from the house has helped us control sweet seeking ants that previously invaded without ceasing.

I have dug up around the foundation of the house and brought up root sections 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. I left the hole open to see what might show up. Sure enough, sprouts, full on, with long tendrils and leaves where present within three days of our seeming massacre. Now it feels like a losing game to find *any* more segments and get them out.

This was a great mature plant - plenty of seed pods, beautiful blooms and thick leafy shade around our east facing windows. Previous owners placed well thought out trellis across windows to really use the shade. I am sorry to try to eradicate it but last year's bill for pipe work convinced me. Further, the gutters, roofing tile and window frames were being systematically pried away from the house by the vine. We still have not gotten all the woody remnants off the house.

I welcome any suggestions for slowing or terminating growth of the remaining root knuckles that are exposed. (I just can't dig up any more of the yard or Sweetie will be really sad with me.) We have lots of other great plants and have a 'chem-free' operation going.

Trumpet vines can be very invasive if you don't control them. I have found that the best way to control them in the Panhandle of Florida is to plant them at the base of a long needle pine tree and let them grow up the tree. They look beautiful whether in or out of bloom and they stay relatively confined.

Feel fortunate you have all of these positive, neutral, and negative responses to the Trumpet Creeper. Obviously, this is one plant you must THINK about BEFORE you plant. I built a HUGE trellis for my 2 to grow on in zone 9a, and so far no negavative results! If I can keep Japanese Honeysuckle under control, I don't forsee any problems with my Campsis radicans!

Very good grower once established, nice flowers which are attractive to hummingbirds and various insects. However, it can be invasive. It spreads aggressively underground and is almost impossible to pull or dig out completely. My Trumpet Vine behaved well for 40 years, covering a chain link fence and screening out the neighbors. Occasional shoots in the lawn were controlled by regular mowing. The past few years it has gone ballistic, springing up all over. Most of the shoots are coming up from (I am not exaggerating) a four foot deep pile of willow mulch. Tough plant. I am desperate enough to try a commercial Brush Be Gone product, hoping to control the new shoots. I realize it may take several applications. Although I am strictly organic, it seems an herbicide is my only hope of real control. I would not recommend this plant to other gardeners as the dang thing tends to run amok. Try Butterfly Bush for Hummers and butterflies instead, and perhaps a clematis or climbing rose to cover a fence.

Wow, I never knew so many people has such strong feelings about trumpet vine! We have had a trumpet vine on our property in S.E. PA for 35 years, and while it is true that it tends to spread with time, ours is controllable with a little vigilance and more than makes up for it's "enthusiasm" with prolific flowers which by themselves attract several hummingbirds every year. (Perhaps some people's vines don't flower because they don't get enough sun?) In my hummingbird garden, pretty much nothing is as popular with the hummers. Also, we have never noticed any skin rash or reaction, having handled the plant many, many times.

I have a large gorgeous perennial garden that is about 11 years old. At about year #3 I put up a trellis at the entrance to the garden and decided that a gorgeous yellow trumpet vine would look pretty on the trellis. How utterly stupid and naiive I was!!! I soon discovered that when a person looks up the word 'invasive' in the dictionary, it should be defined with two words, "trumpet vine". The vine runs secretly and insidiously underground and attempts to choke out every other flower and plant in the garden. To add insult to injury, the vine has never bloomed, and is heavy and destructive to the trellis. If I was the litigious type, I'd even consider suing the garden center that allowed me to purchase it with nary a word of warning. Stay away from this plant!!!

The plant came with the house and I wondered what it was at first. With it's bold colors I thought it looked poisonous. I have never had a problem with it being invasive and have never gotten a rash or skin irritation from it. It is on a free standing trellis and at the top hangs over like an umbrella. This year it doesn't seem to be growing. It is an older plant with a thick trunk and so far this year I have seen no green shoots or leaves. I hear how hard it is to kill, but something seems to have affected this one. The winter wasn't particularly harsh and I used no chemicals on the lawn or garden. I have 2 new young plants that seem to be growing.
I'm unhappy that the old plant is dead, it is part of the character of the house. I wish it would take over my hillside, instead I have a horrible viney weed that doesn't bloom and is killing my ivy.

VERY INVASIVE. I bought this plant in a one gallon container about three or four years ago. It was blooming when I bought and has never bloomed again. I planted it near a dogwood tree. It has grown to the top of the tree. There are vines all over that side of my yard. Yes, they do grow very rapidly. I am pulling up most of them, but feel it will spring up somewhere else. I was disappointed the first couple of years that it didn't bloom. Now I am more disappointed that is hasn't bloomed and I can't get rid of it. I thought of giving a piece to my neighbor, then decided they might not be my friend after a couple of years of this invading their yard. It is almost as bad as the virginia creeper that grows wild and nothing kills it.

My first apartment had a trumpet vine in the back yard and I vowed to have one in my own yard someday. I planted one about 4-5 years ago in my yard along the fence line and it has taken off quite well in spite of my two dogs playing tug-o-war with it. But I haven't gotten any blooms on it yet. I'm not sure if there is a dormant stage after planting or the blame lies with the pups. This year it's surrounded by fence and away from the dogs. Will it bloom? We'll have to wait and see.

Horrible, invasive plant. It came with our farm and I have been chopping and pulling for 7 years. Have never broken out from handling, but really hate this plant!!

Don't bother with this vine. It is invasive and hard to get rid of. Every spring I have to pull out shoots that come up. You have to remove any roots in the ground or else they'll keep coming back, but preventing that is almost impossible!

I have a trumpet vine that has been growing along my porch for the last 22 years. Even with harsh central Wisconsin winters, it comes back strong every year with out any winter protection except for a sunny spot. It has sent out many shoots that many people have been more than willing to take and try to grow themselves, but they have not taken over my yard. The shoots are very hard to start, but those that have succeeded have been more than thrilled with their results. No one in my family, or anyone I know has ever broken out in a rash from this plant. My plant has just started producing seed pods and I'm excited to try this method of propigation of this great plant. I have not had a big problem with the plant taking over with proper trimming. I hope that more people will have a good result with this plant.

Luckily for me, I saw this vine in glorious flower, covering a house and obviously doing damage to it in Riverview. It was scary to look at. Think of kudzu and walk away...

I am presently covered with a rash from this plant from head to toe--it is quite unpleasant, and I was wearing long sleeves, long pants, socks and gloves when I acquired this rash--the allergens penetrated through my clothes to my skin. I doubt that there is a square yard on my entire six acres here in NorthCentral Florida, zone 8b, where this very invasive native plant does not grow, so I have to pull it out, roots and all, in order to grow anything else. It makes long roots as thick as my fingers, that intertwine in the top six inches of my sandy soil, and my hands ache from pulling it out of future flower and vegetable beds. It sends out long underground runners, as well as long vines, up to 40 feet tall, or taller.

I have just spent three hours on the internet researching glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, as I am desperate to get rid of this invasive plant. I have much more of this plant than I have poison ivy, although I am equally allergic to both.

I have also been given some homemade weed killer formulas, one of which I am considering trying: take one gallon white vinegar, one pound of salt, and 8 teaspoons of dish detergent as a surfacant, and spray. It sounds more organic than RoundUp, but I'm worried about the salt residue and damaging my many earthworms and other beneficial insects. Supposedly RoundUp binds to the soil and is transformed by soil microorganisms into carbon dixoide within a few months. As a lifelong organic gardener you must realize how desperate I am to get rid of this plant if I am even considering using something like RoundUp. So if you don't want to be in my predicament, do not plant this plant! And so much for all the ballyhoo about wonderful native plants--I'd certainly much prefer a well-behaved, attractive, cultivated vine that knows how to stay in its place.

I do understand there are some better behaved, named cultivars of this plant, but after battling this plant for a year I don't think I would ever plant any variety of it. The irony of it all is that the pretty, orangy-colored, trumpet shaped flowers of this vine trailing along the front fence and up the old oak trees arching over the white limerocked dirt road attracted me to stop and look at this property in the first place--and it was only then that I saw the "for sale" sign, mostly hidden by these "jungle vines." But my hands and forearms literally look like "raw meat" right now from handling this plant, so if you are at all allergic, do not plant this thing. And from the other comments I think it is very obvious that the further South you live, the more invasive it can become.

Same here in Houston. Lousy thing comes up all over in the beds, in other peoples yards, in the patio and we've tried to burn, poison it, NEVER pull it, that just makes more! I've given up and just try to keep it out of where I don't want it. Doesn't pull the hummingbirds the way other plants do.

My mother has been trying to kill the trumpet vines in her yard for 50 years using as many methods as one can think of with no luck! She is 91 years old and stated that when she reaches the eternal gates to meet her maker, the trumpet vines' trumpets will sound in unison and the vines will shout, "Your battles were hard fought, but WE have finally won the war!"

I have a Tumpet Vine on an 8-foot fence between a paved parking lot and a sidewalk, which contain its invasiveness nicely. It has "extra-floral nectaries" like peonies and peach trees, which draw (among many other things) a large black and yellow wasp that's almost as spectacular as the blossoms. The wasps are imposing but haven't harmed anyone. Haven't seen any ants, though. And there's a delicious drop of nectar if you break off a blossom carefully and suck on the base, like honeysuckle. This year for the first time I have seed pods.

I placed this vine against the house on a strong trellis in the back of the garden in full sun. It has been a beautiful addition and since it is in the back of the garden, the dead flowers are not noticeable at all. I haven't noticed an unusual amount of bugs on it either. It is natural to have some ants because of the sweet nectar in the flowers. This is a wonderful vine for anyone wanting to fill a large space!

Mine does not have thorns, nor is it itchy, but it will take over the world. Shoots come up from the roots and the seeds will blow over the universe. it also attracts ants and will pull down a tree.

Mine came with the house and the original is about 18 inches in diameter at the base. It also puts out fingers to dig into wood or brick, but it's beautiful and bees and hummers love it. Roundup and brush killers don't hurt it.

I was helping my girlfriend remove these thorny vine plants from around our grape vine. The next day I had major rash and blisters on my skin and it itches like crazy. Stay away from it if you are allergic to "poisonous" plants. It'll be weeks before this clears up.

I had great sentimental attachment to this plant, recalling it from my grandmother's garden. Alas, its invasiveness keeps me from recommending it to anyone. If it is completely surrounded by areas that can be mown, it's beautiful and attracts hummingbirds - but it's a thug! Will come up everywhere, in beds as far as 20 feet away. Plant at your own risk.

For the fire ant problem, I use Andro to get rid of fire ants. The ants take it into their mound to kill the queen. Do NOT put andro on the ant pile, they will take it far, far away from their home. Place the Andro near their mound, so they can find it and think it's yummy food, not an attack on their nest. Don't use before rain, but after.

I have a Trumpet Vine in my garden also. I found it very invasive. I had to completely dig it up and remove all the roots to stop it.

So when I decided to move it to another place, I planted it in a 5 gallon black plastic pot. First I cut the bottom of the pot out, dug a hole for the pot to set in about half way up the side, filled with my garden dirt, planted the vine.

It is now contained and I do not have the invasive shoots in any other part of my flower bed. It has been there three seasons now and so far I have not had any extra shoots coming out of the ground as it did in the other spot. I find that any plant that is know to be invasive can be planted in this manner to contain it.

I hate this vine with a passion. It crawled up the house, around the house, in the house. I had it comming up in my bathroom out of every little crack in the floor. I tried killing it and it would not die. I tried cutting back to the root, and it came back. I tried poisons, salt, and never watered it exept for rain. I didn't plant it, I bought it with the house. It introduced ants to my roof. If I ever see this plant in a garden in, I promise I will run as fast as I can.

I have a beautiful orange Trumpet Vine that needs very little care. Other than bright sun, she needs very little and is also drought tolerant. But I do have one problem...she attracts ANTS!

Also, I do not trim vigorously, only the dead shoots in the spring. I also cut off (dead head) the seed pods. (Only if a friend wants one, will I plant a few seeds to get a new plant.)

A little messy but the vibrant flowers and the Hummingbirds are well worth it!!

I can't recommend this vine - its flowers are messy (we planted it over a pergola, and it was a constant battle to keep it trimmed back and the floor swept free of "droppings" - and did I mention it is invasive? I just can't think of a place where it would look good and not destroy everything surrounding it. The one positive - birds and bees do like the flowers.

I love the vine as it covers a trellis and gives good isolation from my neighbour. I am concerned tho at the amount of shoots popping out all over the place, even 30 feet from the plant!
Ive heard that if you cut off the pods or 'deadhead' the plant (whatever that means) it will control it somewhat.
Hardy plant and likes full sunlight, very tolerable to different soil types.

I couldn't decide if it was a neutral or a negative for me. I got a small piece from an 80 year old woman up in the mountains, about 10 years ago. Planted it by a pine tree and NOW it's to the top of the 60-70 foot pine. It's beautiful and the red blooms are all over the pine. The only down side is I find the vine popping up ALL over the place. 20-30 feet away from the tree... and I think they can grow a foot a day! They definately are vigorous little boogers!

I have (2) Trumpet Vines they are very rapid growers but with trimming it is a wonderful vine this year I am going to try mixing it with some climbing Roses on a trellis.

This plant will grow as high as its support allows: 80-100 feet is common here.

The seedpods, if left on, attract birds all winter.

It also attracts Japanese beetles by the bajillions.

The plant can cause rash on some people