Saturday, June 17, 2017

Yellow Flower Trumpet Vine


June 17, 2017 

HELP Dr. Dirt! I've got this mess in the corner of my backyard. I have no idea what to do with it and honestly I'm scared of what I might find in there (insect- wise). I like the flowers but would like to see it look cleaner. 

Erin
Hobbs, NM



Erin’s Vine                                Honeysuckle Vine with pruning, and a trellis against brick wall.

Thank you, Erin for this interesting picture of the Yellow-flowered form of Trumpet Vine.

Answer: From my observation looking into your photo and the background details. I would recommend cutting the trumpet vine back in height and sides coming inward. Whack the vines a few times first with a broom, etc., wear gloves of course and watch for pests or other critters. I would definitely remove a lot of the vinery growth up from the ground. I would install a heavy-duty trellis between the trumpet vine and the fence. Trumpet vines are an aggressive grower and weighty. I would utilize the fence as a support mechanism to hold the weight as the vine grows and becomes larger. You would need to train the vine’s runners to attach itself to the trellis; once established onto trellis the vine will take off on its own.

Under-cutting the draping ground hugging tendrils and runners will give you a cleaner look and shape to the whole plant. Yes, the photo looks messy and could have some critters living within the tangled mess. But a good hair-cut and selecting good runner vines and attaching them to the trellis will give you a more manicured looking plant. The yellow flowered form is NOT as aggressive as the orange flowered type that can take over a backyard landscape.

Dr. Dirt would be happy to assist you in the your gardening endeavors and demonstrate how to cut the vine and do the proper uplift towards a trellised look. What is out-of-bounds now can be brought back into a controlled growth pattern with the yellow flowered trumpet vine.

These vines are great for watching hummingbirds and Sphinx moths feeding off the nectar-laden flowers.

A great pic and garden question Erin, I hope my brief answer gives you a direction. And I do make house calls for my patients.

Dr. Dirt 

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