Trumpet vine
I have 2 trumpet vines, planted last year. This year there were only a few flowers on one and none on the other. Am I supposed to cut them back in the fall or spring?

Trumpet vine, Campsis radicans is fast growing and sometimes considered invasive in warmer climates. It spreads by underground runners and seeds.
For best blooming, give it full sun, well drained soil and low moisture and no fertilizer. If it doesn’t bloom well chances are that you are pampering it too much. Prune it in early spring to shorten and remove dead wood. To control aggressive growth cut it back to the ground and it should resprout. The orange tubular flowers which attract hummingbirds and bees are produced on current seasons growth.
All parts of this plant are poisonous and care should be taken when handling the plant as some can get a skin reaction to the foliage.
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I need to exterminate my plant called Campsis Radicans. We thought we had dug it out but now it is spreading.
Comment by Eddie — 7/23/2007 @ 9:34 am
I need to move my trumpet vine, it is long and viny. how and where should I plant it?
Comment by John — 7/23/2007 @ 9:41 am
I have 3 long pods of a Trumpet vine. What do I do with them. I don’t know when to plant or how. Someone said to put them under a rock and forget them till spring. Do I take the seeds out or plant the pod seeds and all. Need help.
Comment by Sue — 7/23/2007 @ 12:52 pm
My trumpet vine is about seven years old and has never bloomed. We live in the midwest. It is as tall as a privacy fence with great foliage but no blooms not even a bud.
Comment by John — 7/23/2007 @ 1:08 pm
I’ve had my trumpet vine for three years now. I get foliage but it has never bloomed. Now the leaves seem to be getting very weak and they have tiny white spots on the underside of the leaves. What shoud I do?
Comment by Ruth — 7/23/2007 @ 1:18 pm
Should I spray for bugs on my trumpet vine? I have little green bugs all over it.
Comment by Scott — 7/23/2007 @ 1:35 pm
A friend gave me the seeds to a trumpet vine, I would like to know the correct way to plant it. How long does it take to germinate?
Comment by Jack — 7/24/2007 @ 5:46 am
I, too, have a three year old trumpet vine that has never bloomed. It gets partial sun but I have no other sunnier spot for it. Should I just give up on it? Lots of vine foliage - no blooms. BobbyJean
Comment by BobbyJean Thompson — 8/4/2007 @ 11:43 am
I have a beautiful trumpet plant. I got mildew in early spring so I cut all the leaves and branchs off. I sprouted new beautiful leaves and now is covered in mildew. How do I get rid of mildew??
Comment by Deanna — 9/5/2007 @ 7:16 pm
I have a trumpet vine that is about 4 years old, gets lots of sun, and I never fertilize the soil, we have lots of Clay in Vermont. I would love to see buds and blooms any idea as to why I have not and what should I do about it.
Comment by Barbara — 9/21/2007 @ 5:54 pm
We also have clay here in NV. I remedied this by adding clean sand and bags of pearlite to the soil. You can also try adding some gravel or clean straw. But the pearlite seems to work best.
Comment by Susan — 9/22/2007 @ 12:47 pm
I live in Northern California, Bay Area. I have 6 trumpet vines, 4 red & 2 lilac, they are planted in sandy soil near a pool (about 4 feet away) on a very strong pergola. They get about 4 hrs of direct sun a day. They are VERY slowly growing. Since I’ve been reading comments about its aggresiveness, should I be concern about the roots damaging my gunite pool? Should I get rid of them? If so, what can I plan instead under this conditions. I just want green foliage to cover my pergola all year round.
Comment by MARIA — 11/15/2007 @ 1:45 pm
This vine is a horror – neighbor’s vines took over my side of fence and strangled three healthy pyracantha if you can imagine! This happened when elderly mother was unable to pay attention to her yard, nor did anyone else. After killing the pyracantha this scourage went for the rose bushes but I finally hacked it back and saved roses. Warning: do not ever plant this “weed” near anything else you want to save – it will wind around it and kill it – we are in So Calif. Lots of heat and drought. Neighbor loves it and wants us to cover a gate with it that attaches to our house. Thanks but no – this garbage invades pipes, walls, etc. As others have said, it’s a nightmare and should never be tolerated.
Comment by Courtney — 12/5/2007 @ 4:09 pm
I am concerned about the negative reviews reguarding the way this plant invades the area around it. I am considering putting my new-comer into a pot because of this. Could you tell me the size of pot and any other important information reguarding this approach to planting a red trumpet, AND, will it bloom as well planted this way?
Comment by Laurie — 3/11/2008 @ 9:18 pm
I have a trumpet vine that is right next to my vegetable garden. The runners are a night mare! They wind around everything. If I use Round Up on the runners, will it also kill the main plant? the neighbor might not be pleased.
Comment by aileen — 4/14/2008 @ 12:00 pm
I AM A FIRST TIME GARDENER THIS YEAR - I HAVE SEVERAL TRUMPET VINES THAT ARE GROWING IN MY BACK SUN PORCH UNTIL THE FROST TIME IS OVER - NORTHERN IN. - THEY HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT AND ARE ABOUT 7 INCHES TALL EACH. BUT NOW I HAVE SOME LITTLE HOLES IN SOME OF THE LEAVES - I AM THINKING A NIBBLING BUG - WHAT DO I DO? ALSO, I HAVE A COUPLE LILAC BUSHED STARTING THAT LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN NIBBLED. I PLAN TO MOVE ALL MY VARIOUS PLANTS FROM THE PORCH TO OUR GARDEN AROUND MAY 1ST - ALSO, WE HAVE A DOG - IF HE NIBBLES THE TRUMPET VINE WILL HE DIE?
THANKS! AMY.
Comment by Amy — 4/18/2008 @ 4:29 pm