At the end of a long summer the trumpet vine (botanical name: Campsis) is a real feature in your garden. This climbing shrub only comes into bloom later in the year, and they do this with large red, orange or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that can be up to 8 cm long. This garden bloomer does best against a sunny fence or wall, but there is also a half-standard trumpet vine that looks fabulous in a pot like a small tree with hanging branches. These can grow up to 150 cm tall. The trumpet vine is also available as a tree that can reach a height of around 4 metres. As a climber the trumpet vine can be up to 4 metres wide and 8 to 12 metres high. The flowers attract many bumblebees, honeybees and insects, and the flowers blend perfectly with nature's changing colours as October approaches.
East/West
The trumpet vine is a member of the bignonia family, comprises two species: Chinese Campsis grandiflora, and Campsis radicans that grows in the south-east United States. Both species mainly grow in forests and amonngst bushes.
Trivia
- The warmer the summer, the more profusely the trumpet vine will flower.
- The scientific name Campsis derives from the Greek word ‘kampe’ which means ‘bent’ and which refers to the branches that bend under the weight of the profusion of flowers.
- In the symbolism of plants the trumpet vine represents ‘a fresh start’, referring to the beginning of autumn.
