Trumpet Vines for Desert Gardening
Mild-winter desert spaces pose an opportunity to grow trumpet vines which are less cold-hardy than some other varieties. A number of tropical and subtropical trumpet vines endure heat, and most will grow in a full-sun site, making the suitable for hot, desert temperatures. Not all trumpet vines are associated; they’re in several plant families. Some require partial shade in hot-summer climates. Trumpet vines have varying levels of drought tolerance, but most of them grown within a desert require deep watering frequently during periods without rain.
Fast Growers
Some trumpet vines suitable for desert areas grow rapidly, providing fast coverage of trellises and arbors. For example, bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides), sturdy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b through 11, can fill a 15-foot-tall arbor using fine-textured leaf in one to two growing seasons. It produces pink-throated, white flowers in spring, summer and autumn. Plant it in full sun or partial shade. Bower vine has moderate drought tolerance. The other fast-grower is trumpet creeper, also referred to as trumpet vine and trumpet flower (Campsis radicans, USDA zones 4 through 10), but its vigorous development makes it invasive in some areas. Additionally, skin contact with trumpet creeper’s plant parts can cause a rash and swelling in pets and people, and the plant is somewhat poisonous when eaten. Trim it occasionally through the summer and cut it back in winter to keep its development within bounds, and wear gloves to protect your skin from contacting the plant. Clean pruning tools using a cloth soaked in alcohol to prevent spreading plant diseases. Trumpet creeper’s orange-red, trumpet-shaped flowers appear in summer at branch ends.
Pink and Red Flowers
Flowers with warm tones of pink or red contrast with green leaf for eye-catching color. Two these plants have been pink trumpet vine (Podranea ricasoliana, USDA zones 9 through 11) and also the cross vine cultivar “Atrosanguinea” (Bignonia capreolata “Atrosanguinea,” USDA zones 5 through 9). A successful landscaping plant in southwestern U.S. deserts, pink trumpet vine has numerous pink flowers with a deeper pink throat. It is suitable as a low hedge as well as a clambering vine and can grow 20 feet long. Pink trumpet vine demands well-drained soil and grows in full sunlight to partial shade. “Atrosanguinea” cross vine features purple-red flowers in clusters at its division ends. It grows in full sunlight or partial shade, reaches 15 to 30 feet long and takes an average quantity of water.
Violet Flowers
At least two species of violet-flowered trumpet vines can grow in desert areas, and both have 3-inch-wide flowers. The flowers of violet trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides, USDA zones 8 through 11) possess dark-purple guidelines at the throat and also appear in spring. The vine is drought-resistant and grows slower in sandy soil than soil that’s moist and fertile. Plant it in a sunny or partially shady spot. Another species using purple flowers is blue trumpet vine (Thunbergia grandiflora, USDA zones 10 through 11). Its yellow-throated, blue-violet flowers appear in late summer and autumn on vines 6 to 8 feet tall. In frost-free locations, the vines can reach 30 feet long. Blue trumpet flower can be invasive in some areas. Control the vine by manually removing its volunteer seedlings and never spreading its roots or plant parts to other areas.
Yellow Flowers
Some highway signs are yellow because they attract attention, as do yellow flowers on trumpet vines. For example, reddish-brown buds open to become golden-yellow flowers on gold trumpet (Allamanda cathartica, USDA zones 10 through 11), that grows 10 to 20 feet long. At times the woody, evergreen vine is clipped as a hedge or tree. This member of the milkweed family (Apocynaceae) has milky sap that’s poisonous. Golden trumpet prefers full sunlight and can be ranked as having moderate water requirements. It can be invasive in some areas, spreading through seedlings and from stems and extensive root systems. Remove seedlings, plant roots and stems to prevent golden trumpet in locations where you don’t desire it. A trumpet vine with much more restrained growth and paler yellow flowers is wild allamanda, also referred to as feces viperstail (Pentalinon luteum and Urechites lutea, USDA zones 10 through 11); it’s native to Florida. Increasing 3 to 12 feet tall, it has moderate drought tolerance, which grows in sun to partial shade and does best in sandy soil.