Plant Finder

Other Names:  Bignonia callistergioides

Description:

A fast growing, evergreen vine that will climb up or over anything that will support it; leathery, bright green foliage provides contrast to large lavender trumpet flowers in spring through fall; hardy and adaptable, excellent for arbors and garden walls

Ornamental Features

Lavender Trumpet Vine is smothered in stunning lavender trumpet-shaped flowers with white overtones, lemon yellow throats and deep purple veins along the branches from mid spring to early fall. Its glossy oval leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning green in color the rest of the year. The fruits are showy light green pods displayed from late summer to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Lavender Trumpet Vine is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen perennial vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Lavender Trumpet Vine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Lavender Trumpet Vine will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. As a climbing vine, it should either be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America..

Lavender Trumpet Vine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.