What Are Trumpet Vines And Are They Problematic?
If you have a green thumb, or like to maintain a garden or some type of foliage each year, you will know that there are some plants that are a little more high maintenance than others. These are the plants that require pruning and prepping every day. The plants that require multiple waterings and locations that get a certain degree of light each day. These can also be the plants that grow quite rapidly, to the point where they take over your yard and your garden with the blink of an eye. One such plant that can be found in several gardens all over is that of the trumpet vine. This plant can be quite beautiful this and also attract hummingbirds; however, there can be better options for foliage that provides the same benefits. So, what makes these plants so high maintenance for gardeners? That is what we are going to answer in this article today, so let’s get started.
1. What Exactly Is A Trumpet Vine?
The trumpet vine is a plant that is pretty self explanatory through its name. Also known as “trumpet creepers”, The foliage can hug the ground and also climb up the side of houses, sheds, and trellises (with the help of you, the gardener, of course). These plants are actually native to the south eastern region of the United States, but can be grown in other regions as well. It produces a variety of orange, to orange/red, to pink buds that have an almost bell shaped, or trumpet shaped, flower when it blooms. Other fascinating features about this plant include the fact that it actually thrives better in the more poor to medium rich soil compared to the extremely rich soil, which can intern cause the plant to bloom late or even not at all. The plant can also bloom in partial sunlight, but obviously, just like other plants, does better in full sun coverage.
As we mentioned before, the maintenance of these vines can be quite the task for you, the gardener. They tend to require a lot of upkeep, especially if you want to keep them from over spreading into other parts of your yard. This may mean that you have to take some preventative measures when you are cheering for your trumpet vines daily, and making sure that you are pruning them back they do not spread past the area in which you have them.
2. What Causes Them To Be So Problematic
While trumpet vines are most definitely a beautiful plant to admire, and while they do attract a wide variety of hummingbirds, this foliage can be quite problematic for the majority of the population who has to deal with them. This is caused by a number of reasons, with the top of the list being that they are what could be considered an invasive or aggressive species of plant. Without the right type of maintenance, as we talked about previously, they will over spread and take over your yard, your garden, and other buildings or fenced areas in which they are growing on. If you do have them growing on the side of your house, your shed, or your fence, you may also find that overtime, the trumpet vines begin to Create quite a bit of wear and tear in those areas due to its aerial roots. This potential hazard with the structure of your home, and your garden in general, is the reason that so many are weary of having trumpet vines. It is also best to deal with them, or plan to plant them in your yard, if you had experience with them previously. They can be quite the task for a newcomer with their vigorous upkeep.
If all of that wariness is not enough, there is also a risk for some individuals when interacting with the trumpet vines as they could cause skin irritation or other skin reactions. The trumpet vines themselves are very similar to poison ivy, but don’t cause skin irritations quite as often as poison ivy does. Either way, it is important to be careful and cautious if you are working with trumpet vines for the first time.
While trumpet vines are full of beauty in many different forms, they are definitely not a plant for everyone. Before you decide to give them a try in your own yard, it is best to do your research or to talk to your local nursery to see what advice they may have for the upkeep and maintenance of these plants. In short, it is important to realize that there are also other options that may be better for planting, but that also give you the same results of the trumpet vine would.