Gardening and Horticulture - trumpet vines pruning

i have trumpet vines that have grown in and around my chain link fence that I just love. The previous owners did not take care of them and I want to fix the bare spots. I was told that you could trip them back at anytime that the only thing that would happen is the blooms may not be as abundant as previous years but that next year would come back much fuller and prettier. I trimmed some of the vines down to about 2 or 3 inches from the tip of the fence. My question is will this procedure hurt the preformance of the vines like killing it or am I ok to do it this way. I have stopped until I hear from someone to assure me that what I am doing is ok and that the results will be what I think.
Thanks

Hello lorraine03

If you are talking about Campsis radicans, you should be able to prune them back, in fact it is usually quite beneficial if you want the plant to bush out, fill in or assume a particular shape (I've seen this vine prunes and trained to resemble a small standard tree)

Here are a couple links to make sure we are talking about the same plant:

http://www.floridata.com/ref/C/camp_rad.cfm

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/c/camrad/camrad1.html

One word of caution (aside from the notes in the links about it being poisonous) - Trumpet vine has also been known to spread almost uncontrollably after it establishes, and by removing the top growth, you might be encouraging the plant to send up suckers from the roots. (I'm not sure if pruning actually has anything to do with the suckering or if the plant just does that anyways...)

Just a heads up in case it starts happening to you...

Good Luck and enjoy!

Howie

Hi Lorraine,

Howie is right on. In our neck of the woods, trumpet vines are almost a weed. They grow up telephone phones clear to the top. Not for me tho, I bought some and had them growing up a trellis.

I doubt if you could kill them. I've read numerous posts where others have asked questions on how to get rid of them.

I'd say trim them back as far as you need to. I pruned mine last year about 2' from the ground as I need to move them so they won't grow into the gutters, roof, etc. They attach themselves by tendrils that seem to grow right into whatever they are attached to (even bricks) and it takes a pretty good tug to get them off.

They DO sucker, so if you want plants to move elsewhere, hey!, they're free. Dig them up and move them.

Are they in full sun? Mine gets few flowers now as the shade is increasing.

Gami

To Howie & Gami~~

Thank you so much for the information concerning my trumpet vines. To answer your question Gami mine are in full sun most of the day and as far as I know haven't been watered except for the occasional rain that we receive. Howie your links to the other sites were very helpful also. Now just one last question from the articles I read the suckers are something that the roots shoot up.
Am I going to awake some morning and find that I have created something from a Boris Karloff film that will eat all the townspeople? Or is it just a ugly part of the root that will twine itself around the chain link fence? And does it produce trumpets like the rest of the vine. Sorry I am so niave in this area. But I guess thats why I consider you two the "Wise Ones"

Thanks again
Lorraine03

Hi Lorraine,

I haven't heard Boris Karlof's name mentioned in a LONG time. We must be from the same generation??? Since Howie's too young to know who we are talking about ;) , I'll jump in first.

No, the suckers grow by roots underground and pop up aways from your plant. In my case, so far, up to 10' away. Sever the roots in front of the mother plant but behind the new plant and you will have a baby (with roots) to move elsewhere. OR of course, you could leave it where it is and let it grow. No fear to the townspeople from the trumpet vine. LOL

Gami

Hello Gami~~~

Excellent!!! I can go play outside again. Thank you so much for the information, I enjoy these vines a great deal for the privacy that they add, the beauty, and of course the butterflies, so I am really happy to know about the babies, now I can have my whole fence area covered with them in a matter of time. Thanks again for the feed back I have acquired alot of "yard" with our new house and want to really make it a place to enjoy and these vines helps on the cost of the landscaping.
Lorraine03