Trumpet creeper (Campsis × tagliabuana)
Campsis × tagliabuana, the Trumpet creeper, offers showy orange-red summer flowers and thrives in sun, ideal for vertical coverage.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Campsis × tagliabuana, commonly known as Trumpet creeper, is a vigorous hybrid vine prized for its rapid growth and spectacular summer floral display. Its large, bright orange-red, trumpet-shaped blooms dominate the mid to late summer landscape, providing a beacon for hummingbirds. This woody vine attaches securely via aerial rootlets, making it an excellent, albeit demanding, choice for covering large, sturdy structures.
Originating as a cross between the American and Chinese trumpet vines, Campsis × tagliabuana offers a slightly more controlled growth habit than its aggressive parent, C. radicans, though restraint is still key to its management. It requires significant space and solid support to handle the weight of its mature canopy.
From a practical standpoint, this Trumpet creeper provides incredibly fast vertical coverage and handles challenging hot, dry sites well once established. Gardeners must be prepared for its high maintenance level, primarily concerning pruning and containment, to ensure it enhances rather than dominates the garden space.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Bignoniaceae
- Plant Type: Vine
- Native Range: Garden origin
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 5-9
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 15-25 ft
- Spread: 6-12 ft
- Bloom Time: July to August
- Bloom Description: Orange-red to red
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: High
How to Grow
Planting the Trumpet creeper is best done in spring after the danger of hard frost has passed. Select a location that offers full sun for the best flower production, although it tolerates partial shade. While easily grown in most soils, ensure structures like pergolas or heavy-duty fences are ready, as mature vines become extremely heavy.
Water needs are medium; provide regular moisture, particularly when establishing the plant. Though robust, lean soils are preferred; avoid overly rich soils, as they fuel excessively aggressive, leafy growth at the expense of blooms. Since flowers appear on new growth, aggressive pruning in early spring will not impede flowering, and heavy pruning is often necessary to manage the spread of Campsis × tagliabuana.
Unlike many delicate climbers, this vine is very hardy, but be mindful that the primary challenge with this Trumpet creeper is containment due to its suckering nature. Monitor underground runners and prune canes vigorously in late winter or early spring to direct growth and maintain its desired shape on its supports.
Landscape Uses
The primary function of Campsis × tagliabuana in the landscape is rapid, dense coverage over substantial vertical surfaces. It excels when naturalized in woodland gardens or over necessary but unattractive structures like old stumps or rock piles. Its lush foliage and brilliant terminal blooms make it a highlight in areas where quick visual screening is needed.
It is an excellent component for dedicated hummingbird gardens due to its irresistible flower shape and color. Avoid planting near sensitive borders or soft plantings, as the aggressive self-seeding and underground suckering of this Trumpet creeper require clear boundaries. If space allows and containment is managed, the visual impact it delivers is unmatched by less vigorous vines.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Campsis × tagliabuana is a hybrid cross between C. Radicans (American trumpet vine) and C. Grandiflora (Chinese trumpet vine). It produces trumpet-shaped, orange-red to red flowers (to 3” long) which appear in loose, somewhat drooping clusters (cymes) throughout the summer. It is a woody, clinging vine which attaches itself to structures and climbs by aerial rootlets, rapidly growing 15-25’ high with large, shiny green compound leaves.
Tolerances
- Deer
- Drought
- Clay Soil
Potential Problems
The Campsis × tagliabuana generally suffers from no serious insect or disease problems, which contributes to its wild success. The most significant potential problem is its highly invasive and aggressive nature; it spreads rapidly via underground runners and readily self-seeds, potentially overwhelming less vigorous plants nearby. Aggressive, annual pruning is the most effective management strategy to keep this Trumpet creeper confined to its intended structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Trumpet creeper suitable for?
This vigorous vine is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 9.
How large does Campsis × tagliabuana grow?
When fully mature, the Trumpet creeper typically reaches heights between 15 and 25 feet, spreading 6 to 12 feet wide.
When does Campsis × tagliabuana bloom?
This plant offers a late-season floral show, with blooms appearing from July through August described as orange-red to red.
What sun exposure does Trumpet creeper need?
For optimal flowering, Campsis × tagliabuana requires full sun, though it will tolerate areas receiving part shade.
Conclusion
The Campsis × tagliabuana provides unmatched vertical coverage and dramatic summer color, making it a powerhouse choice for hot, dry areas needing quick screening. Despite its high maintenance demands regarding containment, the sheer visual display of the Trumpet creeper is worthwhile for gardeners with robust support systems available. Always confirm your local growing region falls within USDA Zones 5-9 before planting this aggressively beautiful vine.
Wildlife Benefits
The trumpet-shaped flowers of Campsis × tagliabuana are perfectly adapted for pollination by long-tongued visitors. They are magnets for hummingbirds, which seek out the nectar-rich interior of the bright blooms throughout the summer months. Planting this vine is an active way to boost local avian populations during the peak growing season.
Propagation Tips
While this vigorous climber readily spreads via suckers from underground runners, propagating desirable clones is best achieved through hardwood cuttings taken during the dormant season (late fall to early spring). Select healthy, pencil-thick canes that have reached maturity. Plant these cuttings directly into well-draining soil or start them in pots, ensuring they receive adequate moisture until roots develop, thus securing a genetical match to the parent plant.
