Why Will My Trumpet Vine Not Bloom?

Features

• Trumpet vine is a covering vine, quickly climbing fences, buildings and open ground. The perennial plant spreads through its creeping vines, prolific seeds and deep root system. The flowers, blooming summer to early autumn, range from deep red to orange and yellow. Attractive to hummingbirds, the tubular flowers produce seeds that help propagate the sometimes-invasive vine. Trumpet vine offers effective, fast-growing foliage that covers unsightly outbuildings, rubble and debris. It creeps along the ground or grows upward by attaching aerial suckers to surfaces. Immature trumpet vines grow quickly but do not usually bloom prolifically until maturity at four to six years.

Location

• Trumpet vines thrive in partial to full sun. The foliage grows in shade, but the plant does not bloom unless it is exposed to direct sunlight. Plant the trumpet vine in just about any soil, but be sure it is well-drained and does not stand in water. Too much water turns the plant leaves yellow and discourages flowers. The creeping vine spreads easily on fences and retaining walls, exposing the plant to more sun and thereby yielding more summer blooms. This plant benefits from average to poor soil because an organic location high in nitrogen or rich soil encourages vine and leaf growth at the expense of flowers.

Care

• Vigorously trim trumpet vines to encourage blooms. Trumpet vine forms flowers on new growth, so remove 30 percent of the oldest vines during the dormant season. To control an invasive vine, prune more aggressively by taking out 90 percent of the vine. Train a few main stems along plant supports. The next season, these stems' new growth will produce the summer flowers. The trumpet vine blooms best with neglect. Too much water or fertilizer suppresses flowering while encouraging foliage growth.

Considerations

• Trumpet vine and its beautiful flowers can harm buildings. The sturdy vines, 20 to 30 feet long, grow under shingles and can crack apart home siding. The plants mar paint and break windows. Ants stream up the vine to enter homes and other areas. When the plant problems outweigh the flowering benefits, eradicate the vine by cutting it to ground level, digging out its roots and painting the remnants with brush killer. Repeat as needed until no new vines appear.