Native Americans - Garden Plants – Trumpet Vine

Name - The Trumpet vine or Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) is also known as ‘Cow itch vine’ because certain animals would get itch and irritable if they rubbed up against it.

Description – This climber has leaves that are leaves are oval and emerald green when new, maturing into a dark green. The flowers come in clusters of four to twelve and are trumpet shaped, orange to red in colour with a yellowish throat. They generally appear after several months of warm weather. The plant as a whole may grow to forty feet in height.

Origins - This is a native of the eastern United States and is most used, and most useful, in cold areas of the UK, because a deep frost will kill it right down to ground level although new stems grow quickly. The flowers attract bees and other insects that are good for the garden, and many birds seem to appreciate the seeds if you leave the pods on the vines in winter. It all sounds great, doesn’t it? But it’s also classed as an invasive pest in many of the warmer states of the USA and to avoid it blasting through your foundations and annoying all your neighbours by coming up in their lawns you need to avoid planting it up against a house or building, though it is tempting because the plant is so gorgeous, instead, try planting it against a fence or along a driveway or against a stone wall – all things that might help contain it. Alternatively, plant the trumpet vine in a big bucket with two inch holes punched in the bottom, to help keep it somewhat contained. Do not use a tree as a pole for the trumpet vine to climb because eventually it will strangle the tree – a much better idea is to plant it next to a telephone pole where it can climb and you can mow the grass around it regularly to scythe off any shoots. Finally, deadhead the flowers and keep the vine trimmed back in the spring and autumn which is when it’s prone to start invading behaviour. Remember those cows? You may want to wear gloves when handling trumpet vine as some people get a rash from the foliage.

America Trumpet Vine photograph by babyparentingguide, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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