Trupmet vine

This is putting on a pretty good show and lots of hummers too.

Wow that is amazing!!!

Holly, that is gorgeous! Trumpet Vine grows wild here....you see it all over the sides of the roads, highways, etc. I have been "eye-balling" it, thinking I could dig some up and put in the yard.....you just sealed the deal for me with that beautiful display of what it can do!

You have done an awesome job! Thank you so much for sharing that picture!

Thanks, It really does put on a show and I can sit all day and watch the hummers come in and out. In the winter I have little twinkle lights up in the branches. Very welcoming in the winter. The "Big" problem is it really is an invasive plant. It puts out runners and has seed pods. I really have to watch it. You can see the pine tree to the right I really have to work to keep it out of that tree and I have runners that are comming up near the light post. They can go pretty far but I think it's worth the work. Just so you know what your getting into.

That is also one of the things that have stopped me from jumping a ditch and digging it up! You should see it on the sides of the road here....it really is all over the place! So many people here consider it a weed and spend all kinds of time and money getting rid of it! I see it and think "where can I put it....."! Also, I have noticed it has different variations of color.....I've only seen what is an orange color mostly, but also a few that are a true red, and thats the one I want!

I'm sure I'll give into the urge and go dig some up or collect some seeds soon!

Holly......I just noticed the plant to the right of the picture....it looks like blooms or bananas one....lol...what is that?

luv2dig2006. If you ever find the true red and can get some seeds please let me know!!

Oh, its gorgeous, Marie! The only problem is....its along a freeway.....which would mean me pulling up on the side of a freeway with big rigs going 80 miles an hour, jumping this ditch like thing, going up a little hill....and collecting the seeds !! But believe me.....I am NOT above doing it....lol. I am surely just enough plant crazy to do just that!

And when I do.....you can have some of them! =)

I have been know to pull over on a busy highway too. My teenager is even trained to look for seed pods when we are out and about.

That's a Norway Spruce and those (bananas) are pine cones. My husband gave it to me before we were married, It was a seedling. Must be 30 years old, it's pretty big. You can see the old bathtub sitting on the right. We used it as a horse trought for years, now that the horses are gone it will have a new life. Next year it will be a small water feature. I'm going to sandblast the bottom and paint it bright red enamel hook up some copper plumbing so I can circulate water from the bottom drain to the faucet. It will sit out front right next to the trellis Retirement next year lots of time to work on projects.

I have plenty of seed's I'll send them out to anyone that wants them and I could send you plants too. I'm always digging them up. Mine are more orange than red. I'll try to post a close up of the flowers later.

What a cool tree! I have never seen any cones shaped like that.
Such a great idea with the trough, thats going to be a fun project! I like to take things and re-use them as something different like that myself! I hope you'll share the end result with us, I would love to see it!

Marie, thats funny said that about your teenager looking for seeds, not too long ago.....my oldest told me she had a "surprise" for me, and put about 6 pod looking things in my hand.....she had taken them from a plant in front of a department store!! I told her thanks for thinking of me but "baby, please dont take stuff from public places like that without asking first!!! ". I can just see it now, my kid gets stopped for stealing and her excuse is "well, officer...my mama has told me to take them only when they are seed pods...."! =)

Yeah I have had the same problem!!! My son has brought home some finds that he probably should not have!!!

Holly, it might be less stressful on me to get seeds from you....lol. Definately would be safer! I like the color of yours, too. From the look of the picture, they seem to be a lighter color inside, I think thats pretty!

Hope this gives you a good idea. I think of them as Orange and that is the over all look. They are somewhat Red at the bottom and blend to Orange. Anyone that whats seed just send me your address and I'll mail them out.

When my son was younger we had an old farm next to us that had fields that hadn't been planted for years. One fall day we sent him out and told him to pick what ever was interesting. We made beautiful dried flower arrangements for our house and friends. He had a great time.

Ms Holly....you've got dmail!

The trumpet vine pergola is really gorgeous and can't imagine what you did to be happy with it. I'd like to suggest looking at the plant files entries (I don't know how to put in a link yet).

I have similar experiences as some of the people in the plant files. Perhaps it is not invasive in somewhat cooler climate, but in the south it is a pest.

Good luck to those who are going to try it anyway.

On the other hand, we have wisterias gone wild here, climbing up trees, strangling them, tying them together, etc. They are absolutely beautiful - and highly invasive. But I know that there are cultivars that are not invasive, so maybe the same is true for campsis.

This message was edited Aug 26, 2006 2:41 PM

We have some vine creepers like that in our area Honeysuckle, Virginia creeper and Wild Grapes are a big problem. We have a Hedgerow along side our property with all 3 and Wild Rose. If I didn't cut and pull them down they would eat the trees.

I have both the Wisteria and Trumpet Vine. Both plants are pretty old at least 15 years. They were bought mail order and I not sure of their ancestry. Mostly just a lot of prunning and weeding keeps them in line. Most of the weeding and pulling is within 6 ft of the main plant but I get some runners as far as 20 ft. Nothing farther than that but if I didn't contain them they could just take over. I have to be very careful that the Trumpet Vine doesn't get into my Norway Spruce you can see it in the backround of the picture.

Holly,
How long did it take to get your vine to look like that? It is gorgeous.....
Lesh

I'm not really sure We think the plant is at least15 years and it took maybe 3 before it flowered. My husband thinks he built the Pergola in 97. But it has looked like this for at least 4 or 5 years. This is my best guess. Originaly I ordered 2 Wistera and 1 Trumpet Vine. The Wistera was to be planted on the Pergola and the Trumpet Vine on a fence near our sliding door so we could watch the hummers. When the plants came I took the 2 and planted them on either side of the walk and the 1 on the fence. I didn't know any better. After 3 years of good growth they finally flowered and I found out that there was a mix up in the order. I have 2 Trumpet vines in front of the house The only way I can watch the Hummers comming and going is to sit out in the front yard. The only windows that look out front are from the 2 down stair bedrooms and not a good view of the Trumpet Vine because of the Norway Spruce. If I had done it right they would be comming right up to the sliding door all day very easy to watch from the house while doing other things. Although sitting in the sun watching Hummers isn't a bad way to spend the day. The Wistera is on the fence which is badly outgrown and doesn't display it to the best advantage. New project for husband is a Pergola large enough to go over the driveway next to the fence so I can get the Wistera up high enough to put on a good show. All in all the Trumpet vine flowers longer than the Wistera does and I do love comming home and seeing it. I can send seeds to anyone that wants them just send me you adress.

Marie.....I got some of the "red" trumpet vine....are you still interested in seeds?

Yes I am !!! You have d-mail. Oh and how was the climb up the "hill" :o)