Lately Gardenprue is giving us for the Bignonias. We have already talked at length about a couple of these Winter Bignonia and Bignonia capreolata plants and we never tire of their flowers, vigor and climbing ability. This vigorous vine with large flowers can be another option when it comes to covering a pergola, making a plant cover for a fence or dressing a bland and inert wall.
Their common names are trumpet vine or trumpet flower and it is easy to confuse them because many of the Bignonias we have discussed have this type of tubular flower. It’s more; Some time ago we presented you with another plant, in this case shrubby called the red trumpeter, in our opinion with more impressive flowers in colors but remember that it is not a vine. It has a very similar flower and there are hundreds of flowers with this morphology.
Index
FLOWERING: VELVETY COLORFUL AND ABUNDANT
Anyway, the flowering of this plant is quite spectacular. Its flowers, up to 10 cm long, do not appear alone, but in clusters, making the floral point an orange and velvety spectacle. This is one of its great virtues that has led to the fame of garden climbing plants. The flowers are also a great attraction for pollinators.
This plant has its origin in the USA although it is adapted to many climates mainly due to its rusticity. We will hardly find plants as rustic as this one. Therefore, it is ideal for our garden. Great vigor, lots of foliage, fast growth, good and abundant flowering and… .. easy to care for. What else do you want!
CAMPSIS RADICANS GROWING CONDITIONS
CLIMATE AND EXPOSURE
As we said, its general rusticity is really powerful. It supports extreme temperatures in winter , but very extreme. It is classified according to hardness zones up to 4. This means that it falls within the thermal range of up to -35ºC. Not bad huh? Still, it is not a matter of making her suffer unnecessarily.
In cold areas of continental climate, we can provide you with a sunny, cold, but sunny situation that will later ensure the rich and colorful flowering during the spring.
SOIL AND FERTILIZER
If we talk about good rusticity, it is evident that the story does not stop at temperatures. The possible soil for Campsis radicans also has a wide range of possibilities. Of course it has a preference that is a soil rich in organic matter and drained but if it is not so rich we will not have too many problems unless it grows more slowly for example. The proper pH for this climber is from acidic to almost neutral.
IRRIGATION
Everything could not be possible and this is the only truly important requirement to bring Campsis radicans to fruition. It needs a watering considered moderate or abundant. We cannot let the soil dry out, especially in the middle of the growing and flowering season, which mainly extends from spring to mid-autumn. During the winter rest, watering is drastically reduced , watering at very wide intervals.
PODA
It is a fast growing plant. With good support it can reach 10m and if the conditions are really good, we can easily run out of control. One of the operations to be carried out is pruning at the end of winter to control its growth. It resists serious pruning well and the floral branches of the previous year must be eliminated.
PESTS AND DISEASES OF CAMPSIS RADICANS
The rusticity in this case falters a bit. Although it is true that for the soil and climate conditions this plant is a wonder, in the section pests and diseases it can suffer something else. Cochineal attacks, aphids, whiteflies etc. They can appear as well as some fungal attacks such as Botritys that, although they manifest, may not be too serious.