Hi there. I'm looking for a drought tolerant climber for a hot, sunny wall. Hardy to zone 7 (0 degrees F). Two options I've found so far are trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) and some of the honeysuckles. Wondering if anyone has advice as to which would make a better climber under these conditions? Or other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

I absolutely love the fragrance of honeysuckle and it is a magnet for hummingbirds. Many folks have problems with trumpet vine being invasive (I don't, but also it doesn't grow well for me). I imagine it is also a good hummer attractant.

I would go for the honeysuckle they attract hummingbirds, at least the two that are in my garden they are Dropmore Scarlet and Major Wheeler. Trumpet vines are awful to get rid of, speaking from experience here, they spread from the roots and go for long distances.

Thank you both so much for sharing your experiences. Yes, definitely not looking to introduce an aggressive invasive. A hummingbird-attracting honeysuckle it is then!

i was thinking about adding a trumpet vine as they are supposed to be a great way to attract hummingbirds but I know they can be invasive. I saw a recommendation to cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket, sink it into the ground and plan inside of that to keep it contained. But maybe honeysuckle is a better idea! Do they bloom all summer or just for a short period of time?

Here my honeysuckles bloom all summer into fall far longer than the trumpet vine when I had it in my garden, they stay where you plant them. I don't think even a five gallon bucket with the bottom cut out would contain the trumpet vine over the long term of years. Honeysuckle vines are a hummingbird magnet over a long bloom season from when the weather is warm and they leaf out and soon start blooming on established plants until frost ends their season. They do take a couple of years to get well established well worth the wait. Trumpet vines take years before they bloom at least mine did and then a much shorter season then became a thug and wanted to take over the garden and beyond.

Haha I love that there is such a strong consensus that honeysuckle are better than trumpet vines in every way!

I like honeysuckle better than trumpet vine.

I am also looking for honeysuckle ..(golden flame) because I want some color. I did some research and decided against the trumpet vine.

Hi @schrecka

I just wanted to add that most species of honeysuckle are aggressively invasive and can shade out native ground cover plants.

I've done some work in Lawrence, Ks on a riverbank ecosystem restoration project and the two most common and hard to get rid of plants are two species of honeysuckle (japanese honeysuckle and bush honeysuckle).

I see that you're concerned about the invasiveness of the trumpet vine and just wanted to add a little bit of context because as beautiful as they can be, honeysuckle are actually quite harmful.

I would recommend doing a little research on native vining plants to your area, they would be very low-maintenance and grow well.

Here's a website with some information that you might find helpful in your search!
https://www.cnps.org/gardening...

I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks, Hannah! Some good information there.

I'm a fan of wild trumpet-vines that grow, down here in south-eastern Alabama. Hummingbirds go crazy for them. I tried to excavate a wild one and bring it to a previous home that we lived in a few years ago, but it didn't survive. I have heard from folks that they can destroy structures and choke out trees. The term "aggressive pruning" is often used in the same sentence. I do belive, however, that the red trumpet is a native species here in the south.

I like honeysuckle, but agree with HPippert, that they are and can be highly destructive to native environments. In fact, I think Florida lists Japanese honeysuckle among their top five most aggressive flora species.

Japanese honeysuckle (the one with the white and yellow flowers) (lonicera japonica) is a terribly aggressive invasive species that destroys woodlands and chokes out trees. I am battling it in many natural areas in my community, where it is choking trees with its woody vines. It is incredibly destructive to our native species and should not be grown. It is being outlawed for sale in many states for this reason. PLEASE do not plant, purchase, or grow this plant. Even if it is not invasive in your yard, its flowers produce berries, and the birds spread it from your yard to wild areas where it kills trees. Please choose a native vine instead. Thank you.

As for trumpet vine, a slightly less hardy and also less invasive relative is Bignonia capreolata, the Crossvine. If I remember right, where C.radicans blooms in summer?... B.capreolata blooms in spring... or vice versa. So there's an option if you'd like it.