Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Ordering in autumn or winter? Many hardy exotics arrive dormant or cut back right now. This is normal, and the best time to plant.
Seasonal by nature: what to expect
- Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
- It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
- Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.
Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons
Campsis radicans, the trumpet vine or trumpet creeper, is one of the most spectacular hardy climbers you can grow for high-summer drama. From July to September it smothers itself in clusters of large, flared, trumpet-shaped flowers in glowing shades of orange and fiery red, set against handsome pinnate green foliage. A native of the south-eastern United States, this campsis is a vigorous, self-clinging woody climber that turns a bare wall, fence or pergola into a wall of exotic colour, and its nectar-rich blooms are a magnet for bees and other pollinators.
Key features
- Bold orange-red trumpet flowers over a long summer season
- Self-clinging by aerial roots, ideal for walls and sturdy structures
- Vigorous, fast-growing and fully hardy across most of the UK
- Loved by bees and listed by the RHS as good for pollinators
This is a plant that rewards a warm, sunny position. Grown against a south or west-facing wall, trumpet vine gets the heat it needs to ripen its wood and flower freely, and the shelter helps it thrive even in cooler gardens. It is fully hardy to around -15C (RHS H5), so once established it needs no winter protection, though a mulch at the base is welcome in exposed spots. Give it room: it can climb 8-12 m and spread 3-4 m, clinging tightly as it goes, so a robust support is essential.
Happily, campsis radicans is wonderfully easy-going about soil, growing well in chalk, clay, loam or sand at any pH, as long as drainage is reasonable. Water regularly for the first couple of seasons to settle the deep, suckering roots, after which it becomes notably drought-tolerant. A simple prune in late winter, cutting last year's stems back to a permanent framework, keeps it tidy and flowering hard on the new growth. For UK gardeners searching for trumpet vine uk hardy enough to plant out permanently, this is a superb, long-lived choice.
Every plant we send is nursery-grown, well-rooted and carefully selected so it arrives ready to establish quickly and climb away in its first season.
Hardiness & Frost
Fully hardy across most of the UK to around -15C (RHS H5), needing no winter protection once established. In very cold or exposed gardens, give the base a thick autumn mulch and grow against a warm, sheltered wall to ripen the wood and ensure reliable flowering.
Sun & Aspect
Plant in full sun against a warm, south or west-facing wall or sturdy structure. The more heat and sun the stems receive, the more freely it will flower; deep shade greatly reduces blooming.
Soil
Tolerant of most reasonable garden soils including chalk, clay, loam and sand, at any pH, provided drainage is good. It thrives in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained ground and dislikes permanently waterlogged sites.
Watering & Establishment
Water regularly through the first two growing seasons to settle the deep, suckering root system, keeping the soil evenly moist. Once established it is notably drought-tolerant and rarely needs watering except in prolonged dry spells.
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Yes, it is fully hardy across most of the UK (RHS H5), tolerating around -15C without protection once established. Growing it on a warm, sunny wall helps the wood ripen and guarantees the best flowering.
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Give it a hot, sunny, sheltered spot against a strong south or west-facing wall, fence or pergola. It needs plenty of summer heat to flower well and sturdy support to carry its considerable eventual weight.
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It is a vigorous climber that can reach 8-12 m tall and spread 3-4 m given time and support. It clings by aerial roots, so allow generous room and provide a robust structure.
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It is deciduous, dropping its pinnate leaves in autumn and producing fresh foliage each spring. The flamboyant orange-red trumpet flowers appear on the new season's growth from July to September.
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Prune in late winter or early spring while dormant, cutting the previous year's growth back to a permanent framework of main stems. This keeps it within bounds and encourages strong flowering shoots, as blooms form on new wood.
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Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.
It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.
If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit. -
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.
If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.
That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look. -
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.
Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.
When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.
We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box. -
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.
Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.
It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.
Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.
Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help. -
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.
During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.
That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.
The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit. Whether grown in our own nursery or sourced from trusted partner growers, every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something isn't right on arrival, we'll make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.
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