Trumpet Vine Care
Campsis radicans
A very vigorous, fast-growing vine that loves hot summers and full sun and produces showy trumpet-shaped flowers. It is drought tolerant but can spread aggressively through suckers from its roots, so the planting site should be chosen carefully.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- Watering: Not required; winter precipitation is sufficient.
- Pruning: Not needed. The best time for the main pruning is the end of the month or early March.
- General care: Bring unwanted shoots (suckers) coming from the root under control by pulling them up during this period when the soil is moist.
- Watering: Not needed; rainfall is sufficient.
- Pruning: While dormant, remove dry, broken, crossing and inward-growing branches so that air and light reach the inside of the crown. Prune hard during dormancy; cut back the previous year's growth on the main framework, leaving 2-3 buds. This maximizes flowering. Root suckers are invasive; limit them.
- General care: Clear away pruning debris. Continue removing root suckers.
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy.
- Pruning: Pruning should be finished by the beginning of this month.
- Plant protection: Check the new shoots for aphids.
- General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
- Pests & diseases: Aphids may be seen on fresh shoots.
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
- Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
- Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
- Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- Pruning: You can shorten only shoots that are overly long and flowerless, for aesthetic purposes.
- Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
- General care: The plant is in full flowering. Keep removing root suckers.
- Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. The area around the roots should be wetted to a depth of 20-30 cm.
- General care: Flowering begins.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. The area around the roots should be wetted to a depth of 20-30 cm.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: Flowering continues.
- Watering: Not required; autumn precipitation is sufficient.
- General care: The leaves begin to turn yellow and fall. You can collect the seed capsules or leave them.
- Watering: Not needed; rainfall is sufficient.
- General care: Leaf fall is completed. Clear the fallen leaves.
- General care: The plant is in full dormancy. Plan for a hard pruning next year.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
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