Growing This Climber in Pots Will Make Hummingbirds Flock to its Nectar-Rich Flowers – And it's Perfect for Smaller Spaces
7 key steps to growing trumpet vine in pots
Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) is a climbing plant that acts as a magnet for hummingbirds, which are attracted to its nectar-rich tubular flowers. You can even grow trumpet vine in pots to attract hummingbirds into smaller spaces, provided you manage the vigorous climber properly.
The climber has a reputation for its aggressive growth, but that doesn't mean growing them in pots is a pipe dream. There are more compact varieties suitable for large, sun-soaked containers. Give them the support, watering, feeding, pruning, and winter care they need to perform, and you can get a vivid display year after year.
1. Find a Compact Variety
A trumpet vine is a vigorous climbing plant, and some species can grow 40 feet in a season – unmanageable for containers. Thankfully, there are options out there that can make a trumpet vine more container-friendly.
If you want to grow trumpet vine in pots, look for a more compact cultivar of Campsis radicans. You can get less vigorous cultivars bred for smaller gardens. These are ideal climbing plants for pots and will be much more manageable, offering more controlled growth but without sacrificing the flowering.
Varieties such as ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘Flava’ are more compact and less aggressive than other trumpet vine varieties. They are easier to control in large pots and will provide bright blooms, making them perfect container plants for pollinators.
You can get a live Campsis radicans ‘Flava’ plant at Amazon. This native climber has yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds adore. Its size can be controlled in a pot through pruning.
And you can get a live ‘Indian Summer’ trumpet vine plant at Amazon
2. Choose a Suitable Pot
Truthfully, even a more compact trumpet vine needs a large container. Trumpet vine in pots requires a container at least 15-25 gallons in size, usually around 16-24 inches wide and deep to accommodate their deep-growing root network.
Trumpet vine in pots benefits from a heavier pot, made from terracotta or ceramic, to stop the top-heavy plant from tipping over in high winds. Just remember that any planter needs drainage holes in the bottom to prevent waterlogging.
Fill your chosen container with a well-draining potting mix, like this Miracle-Gro potting mix, available at Amazon.
WARNING: As trumpet vines have aggressive roots and spread via suckers, an advantage of containing them in pots is that the potentially invasive climbers are restricted. But it is still advisable to check for roots growing out of the bottom of the container. If you do spot that, cut them back to stop them escaping.
3. Give the Plant Sun
For the maximum number of flowers to attract hummingbirds and other pollinators, trumpet vine in pots wants sun.
The plant will thrive in 6-8 hours of daily sunshine, but can tolerate part-shade, though the flowering will be affected. Too much shade and you may end up with a lot of vines but few flowers.
As well as full sun, the vine also needs shelter against cold winds. A perfect spot may be a sunny and protected corner of a patio or deck, or against a wall, where the climber can scale a trellis.
4. Supports Are a Must
A trumpet vine is a flowering climber. Unsurprisingly, it needs a structure to climb, and one that wants to be put in place when the plant is small.
This support can be a trellis or an obelisk, such as this iron obelisk at Wayfair that can be placed in a large container and provide a stunning backdrop for a trumpet vine to climb.
If the trumpet vine is placed next to a wall, you can mount a wooden hanging trellis like this on Amazon for it to grow up.
Alternatively, you can get a raised bed with an attached trellis at Walmart that is perfect for climbing plants. You can plant the trumpet vine in the bed or sink a pot-grown vine in the planting area and allow the stems to scramble up the attached trellis.
Start training the climber when it is young by tying young shoots to the structure using soft ties, such as these plant ties at Amazon.
5. Water and Feed Plants Regularly
Climbers growing in containers always need more watering and fertilizing than plants growing in the ground. While trumpet vines in the ground usually only need watering during extended dry periods once established, and are usually so vigorous that they can thrive without regular feeding, it is a different story when growing in pots.
The soil in containers can dry out quickly when temperatures rise, and flourishing plants can speedily use up all the nutrients in the potting mix. Regular deep watering is essential to keep the soil consistently moist in summer, potentially twice a week or more during hot spells.
Plus, the plant will benefit from a balanced feed in spring, using a product like this all-purpose plant food available at Burpee. This should be followed up with at least a monthly high-potassium feed (such as this tomato fertilizer with kelp at Amazon) to provide them with all the essential nutrients needed to flower.
6. Prune Hard Every Year
Annual hard pruning helps to keep the trumpet vine in pots contained and control its overall size – making this task an important part of any maintenance plan.
Prune a trumpet vine in late winter or early spring. Don’t be afraid of pruning hard, as the climber flowers on new growth – the vines it produces that season. Cut all the growth back to around 12 inches. This is the best technique when growing it in pots to keep it controlled in a smaller space.
It is essential to wear gloves when doing any trimming of trumpet vines, as the plant’s sap can cause skin irritation.
Make sure any pruning tools are clean and sharp. A pair of pruning shears (like this pair of Corona bypass pruners at Garden Goods Direct) is likely to be the best tool for this hard annual pruning, but any stems over an inch wide will need loppers.
7. Protect It in Winter
Trumpet vines are hardy through US hardiness zones 4 to 10 when growing in the ground. But the roots are more exposed when growing in pots, so their hardiness is reduced.
In climates that experience cold winters, gardeners growing trumpet vine in pots should take steps to overwinter the plants. This can be as simple as moving the container to a sheltered position against a wall to protect the plants from frost.
Or the pot can be wrapped for winter in frost cloth, burlap (you can get a roll of burlap at Amazon), or winter pot covers to insulate the roots against freezing temperatures.
Summer Jazz Fire is a compact trumpet vine that grows 2-3 feet tall and wide, making it ideal for containers and small spaces
This soil moisture meter has an easy-to-read dial with colored zones to quickly determine when you need to water trumpet vines growing in containers.
A pack of two gardening gloves made from 68% bamboo for comfort and flexibility. They are soft but durable and will protect your hands from scratches, cuts, or irritation.
If you are looking for more uncommon vertical plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies in a wildlife garden, this guide to underrated climbers includes some fascinating evergreen and semi-evergreen plants that are known to attract wildlife, including pollinators, songbirds, and beneficial insects.
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