Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Trumpet Vine



The trumpet vine or trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), also known as "cow itch vine" and (in horticulture) as "hummingbird vine", is a large and vigorous woody vine of the family Bignoniaceae, notable for its showy trumpet-shaped flowers. It is native to woodlands and riverbanks of the southeastern United States, but is a popular garden perennial plant across much of the US and southern Canada, as some cultivars are hardy to as low as -30°F/-34°C.



The flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds, 
and many types of birds like to nest in the dense foliage.The flowers are followed by large seed pods.As these mature, they dry and split. Hundreds of thin, brown, paper-like seeds are released. 

The vigor of the trumpet vine should not e underestimated. In warm weather, it puts out huge numbers of tendrils that grab onto every available surface, and eventually expand into heavy woody stems several centimeters in diameter.It grows well on arbors, fences, telephone poles, and trees, although it may dismember them in the process. 


Ruthless pruning is recommended. Outside of its native range this species has the potential to be highly invasive, even as far north as New England. The trumpet vine thrives in many places in southern Canada as well.

Wikipedia
Image by Mary

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