How to Grow Trumpet Vine
Trumpet Vine At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vine
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Bignoniaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
A young plant from a garden centre is the easiest start, and it flowers years sooner than one grown from seed. Plant it in spring, around your last frost date, in full sun beside a very strong fence, arbour or pergola, well away from your house walls and gutters.
Trumpet vine is a tough, very fast climber whose orange trumpet flowers bring in hummingbirds all summer. It spreads by underground shoots and climbs by clinging roots, so it can swamp a small space or pop up in the lawn: plant it only where you can keep it in check each year.
When To Start
Trumpet Vine needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Trumpet Vine?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Trumpet Vine Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Trumpet Vine Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant trumpet vine by a strong support, with room to spread
Around your last frost
Cut trumpet vine back hard and pull stray root shoots
30 days before your last frost· every year
Water your new trumpet vine plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your trumpet vine settling in? Water deeply once a week while the roots take hold.
About 30 days after you plant it
Checking in on your trumpet vine. Tie new stems to the support to guide them where you want.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Trumpet Vine's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
300 cm
Plant Spacing
350 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
Yes: it's a climber; give it a sturdy support to start with.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Plant trumpet vine in full sun for the most flowers, since it flowers poorly in shade.
- 2Ordinary soil is fine and rich soil is not needed, so add just a little compost at planting.
- 3Water weekly in its first summer, then it copes with dry spells on its own.
- 4Skip feeding, because extra food makes leaves instead of flowers.
- 5Cut it back hard each year in late winter and pull up stray shoots from the roots as soon as you see them.
- 6Wear gloves when you handle it, as the leaves and sap can make skin itchy and red, and it is not safe to eat.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
1000 cm
Mature Height
400 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Trumpet flowers through summer; a hummingbird and bee magnet
How to Harvest
- 1There is nothing to eat on a trumpet vine, so its yearly job is a hard cut that keeps it flowering and in bounds.
- 2In late winter, cut all of last year's side shoots back to 2 or 3 buds from the main stems.
- 3It flowers on new growth, so a hard cut means more flowers, not fewer.
- 4Tie young main stems to the support while they are still soft.
- 5Pull or cut stray root shoots at ground level every few weeks through summer.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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