Saturday, June 30, 2012

Trumpet Vines (bignoniaeae)



These are climbing vines with blossoms of different 6 bright colors such as yellow and orange possessing the shape of a trumpet bell; hence, they are known as 'Trumpet Vines'. They originated in sub-tropical areas; however they can grow in low water areas as well. This characteristic makes them suitable for gardens of dry climates and or Mediterranean locales.

As a landscaping bush the trumpet vine is ideal because the type of flowers they produce. The blossoms are like loose screen and extremely bright and colorful growing irregularly through  summer till early fall.

Trumpet vines require periodic trimming. For example, the Yellow Trumpet, a native plant to North America, requires trimming once or twice yearly. In this manner their height can be kept between 9 to 12 feet. Ignore the trimming and the bush can grow up to a tree like structure.

Cape Honeysuckle forms a more vine like structure which requires regular pruning in order to maintain a bushy form. The opposite end of the spectrum, too much trimming, may be harmful to the plant. The trumpet vine may lose its charm and beautiful orange blossoms.

While discussing vine, the 'Trumpet Creeper' can be used as an informal hedge; however, trumpet creeper can climb up and cover a wall. They are considered a self-climbing vine and extremely invasive. One should not plant trumpet creeper next to your house. It is better to plant it next to a disconnected wall or fence.. It's best not to next to your house or anywhere around cultivated gardens as it may takeover the garden. You can use in-ground pots or barrels to control the growth to a certain extent.

Apart from the trumpet vine there are some other kinds of vines too. Among them the common favorites are:

Star Jasmine Vine
This wonderful looking vine is a vigorous climber and can climb as high as 40 feet. And to achieve this they usually hang by their roots. The foliage becomes a mixture of light and dark shade of green by the spring, while the lighter green portion signifies new growth. Soon, small and delicate white blossoms will cover the leaves. The flowers become star-shaped, hence the name - Star Jasmine.

Black Eyed Susan Vine
Black eyed Susan Vine is one of the most common types of vine. It has 10 to 20 yellow colored neutral rays surrounding the dark purple colored conical shaped flower. They can grow in sunny, dry places and in any kind of soil, even along the roadsides.

Cypress Vine
This type of vine produces many star—shaped blossoms of different colors and shapes. Its flowers also have sweet fragrant.

Let us explore the vines a bit further. Do you like hummingbirds?

They are cute and lovely and also very popular too. Everyone enjoys having these delicate beautiful flying machines in their gardens. The occasional visitor to a garden brings excitement and the desire to have more of these delightful creatures visit our garden. How does one do this? Have a lot of hummingbird flowers in your garden.

The term ‘hummingbird flowers’ seems to be an alien phrase to you. Don't worry, there is nothing special about it. It simply means to have a garden filled with flowers that have bright and colorful blossoms. Hummingbirds do not have a good sense of smell, they rely on colors, the brighter the better.

An ideal hummingbird plant is the Trumpet Creeper