Transplanting Trumpet Vines: Tips On Moving A Trumpet Vine

Trumpet vine is only one of several common names for Campsis radicans. The plant is also called the hummingbird vine, trumpet creeper, and cow's itch. This woody vine is a perennial plant native to North America and thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 4 through 9. The orange flowers are trumpet-shaped and appear on the vine from the middle of summer into fall. They attract hummingbirds and butterflies. If you propagate the plant by taking cuttings, it is important to transplant those rooted cuttings at the correct time to give them the best chance of survival. Likewise, if you are thinking of moving a trumpet vine that is mature, timing is important. Read on for information on how to transplant a trumpet vine.

Moving a Trumpet Vine

Don’t get too worried about transplanting trumpet vine plants. The plants are very resilient, so resilient, in fact, that more people are concerned about their aggressive growth pattern than about them not doing well. It is important to know when to transplant trumpet vines. Your best time for trumpet vine transplanting is in early spring before significant growth happens.

How to Transplant a Trumpet Vine

If you decide to go ahead and start transplanting trumpet vine plants in spring, you’ll want to cut each vine back quite a bit just before the move. Leave a few feet (1 m.) of the leafy growth, however, so that each plant has resources to work with. Reducing the height of the plant helps make trumpet vine transplanting manageable. When you are moving a trumpet vine, dig in a circle around the plant’s root area to create a ball of soil and roots that will travel with the plant to its new location. Dig out a large root ball, trying to keep as much dirt attached to the roots as possible. Place your trumpet vine’s root ball in the hole you dug in its new location. Tuck soil around the root ball and water it well. Take good care of your vine as it works to reestablish itself.

When to Transplant Trumpet Vines’ Rooted Cuttings

The timing is the same whether you are transplanting a mature plant or a rooted cutting: you want to place the plant in its new location in early spring. Deciduous plants adapt better to a new site when they are dormant, without leaves and flowers.