In the beginning, last year, in our giddiness over a new-found hobby, my wife and I wanted birds, bees and butterflies. Experience has now refined our tastes and plans, plus we're also a little more educated on plants and gardening in general. We are now in the camp of mostly native species and bee-friendly plants.

Our question is about two Orange Trumpet Vine plants we have that are still relatively small. They are both in containers, one in a terra-pot, the other is sharing a 6ft cedar planter with some other plants.

After we bought these, I've read some very negative stuff about these plants, most recent was they are definitely not for a low-maintenance or even moderate maintenance garden because of their aggressive growth. We really want to have a low to moderate maintenance garden. I can either try to trade, sell, or if I have to, chuck these in the garbage. We have a new fence I'm sure they would be happy to cling to, but I'm worried that they will eventually "break out" of the containers and manage to start spreading their roots in the open ground (including the neighbor's vegetable garden). One of the plants is already starting to cling to the fence (the one in the terra pot). The other one started to cling to our shed, but when I read they can do damage to buildings I pried it loose (it was only a small part a few inches long, but only took a few days to find a hold) and intend to at least move it out of the shared container.

On the plus side, I've also seen some gorgeous pictures of what they look like when they eventually bloom, but question is, are they worth it? I'm open to all opinions and experience pro and con regarding these, please tell me your views to help us decide on what to do with these. Thank you in advance!

Hi Greg, just my opinion but I like Trumpet Vine. Here in Florida it is an invasive pain in the a** but when I grew it in Salt Lake City at our house there, and now have planted it in my daughter's yard there, it's quite tame and manageable. So, I'd advise you to drive around your area looking for some - they should be easy to spot at this time of year while they're blooming. If you locate one, see if you can ask the person growing it if they have problems with it.

It doesn't run underground, it just will root if you let a stem lay on the ground. So, if for example you wanted it to ramble along the top of your fence, you'd just have to go along once in a while and lift or cut any errant stragglers so they didn't root where you don't want them. Cut it back maybe every second winter after it loses its leaves, so it can grow nicely again in the spring.

As long as your winters are cold enough to make it go dormant, I don't think you'd have an issue with it planted in the ground. Here, it never goes dormant so it's a headache all the time.

Btw, if you ever want to get rid of a plant, don't just throw it away, give it to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, or here I just park my give-away plants out at the curb the day before trash day with a sign "free plant". They always disappear.

I lived in zone 8 in California and Orange Trumpet Vines grew so fast my Dad claimed you could sit and watch them grow. Wisteria are the same way. If you ignore them for a week or so, they will have arms reaching 10 feet in every direction looking for a place to cling. Being constantly vigilant is the only way to live with them so not a low maintenance plant. How about a Clematis?

I don't find the growth rate a problem. It's not that hard to hit a few time with a pair of hedge trimmers. For me it's the root system. The will send runners underground for 40 ft or more then pop up. I have it coming up all over the place.

My Dad had it popping up in the middle of his house!

DaisyI said:I lived in zone 8 in California and Orange Trumpet Vines grew so fast my Dad claimed you could sit and watch them grow. Wisteria are the same way. If you ignore them for a week or so, they will have arms reaching 10 feet in every direction looking for a place to cling. Being constantly vigilant is the only way to live with them so not a low maintenance plant. How about a Clematis?

We like clematis and used to have a couple of them in the back that grew up onto the deck, but they eventually died off and didn't come back. That was partly my fault because they were in a weedy area and when they went dormant I accidentally hit them with the weed-whacker. I planted a new clematis on the arch I made recently but it died of its own accord. I'm reserving that spot for another climbing rose when they become available again, or maybe put both clematis and a climbing rose there.

The constant vigilance part steers me towards donating them. I already have a constant vigilance project of trying to rid an area of bohemian knotweeds. I'm down to pulling the shoots, but they grow pretty much like your Dad said, they pop up overnight. They'll be like that for another 2 or 3 years.

Horntoad said:I don't find the growth rate a problem. It's not that hard to hit a few time with a pair of hedge trimmers. For me it's the root system. The will send runners underground for 40 ft or more then pop up. I have it coming up all over the place.

I'm wondering if keeping them in containers would greatly reduce that? Will the roots still grow if broken off? Say for example a runner manages to find it's way through the hole in the bottom of the container and even if you moved the container and it was separated from the parent plant, would the root start another plant?

Maybe it's the clay soil in Salt Lake that makes it not run underground. Had it on a trellis outside the kitchen door for 7 years there.

But . . it doesn't do that here either. Hmm. Sandy soil, too.

My own personal opinion... I wish I had never planted it in my yard. Round up and Tordon won't even kill it! I've been trying to get rid of it for 3 years now and still find runners to pull out.

It's very invasive here too. It's all over the roadside areas and while it's a gorgeous plant I would never plant it. Not even in a container. It will never go away once it touches dirt somewhere. Doesn't matter if it's clay or sand, it takes over.

Well they do attract hummingbirds. They are hard to kill once they've got a spot they like. We've not had the underground root popping up all over problem but they make a lot of seed and some have spread here and there, still, in the early stage they can be eradicated. Our's has grown over the roof of the garage and has tried to insert itself between the siding. We've been able to catch and detach those runners. A couple of years ago we took a chain saw to the mother plant, it just came back the next year. It does produce a lot of flowers and is a pleasant sight to behold. It was here when we bought the place. At this point we seem to continue to just co-exist.

Well Greg,

You asked for Pros and Cons. I think you may be getting the picture, one way or the other, depending upon how much you want to keep these plants. It sounds like you do (want to keep them). I would suggest you make sure your planters are sitting on concrete so the roots can't grow out the bottom and travel to parts unknown (my Father's nemesis was owned by his next door neighbor). And check them weekly to make sure the 'arms' haven't invaded anyplace you don't want them to be.

I admit, they are beautiful plants but.... I will never grow one. I don't need the hastle.

Daisy

jmorth said: Our's has grown over the roof of the garage and has tried to insert itself between the siding. We've been able to catch and detach those runners.

That's another issue I have with mine. It will insert itself into every crack and crevice it can fine. Between vinyl siding, window sills, door frames and everywhere else.

If you decide to keep one in a pot, just set the pot on a paver or saucer, so it can't root in the ground.

Ok, verdict after I shared all the feedback with my wife is that they're going to go. Yes, they're both in containers that have contact with the ground, so I'll have to move them somewhere else.

Have you considered honeysuckle vine? I have that in several places in my yard and the hummingbirds really like it. It reblooms for me late summer, and the blooms smell wonderful. In my yard it roots through the vine itself, so it's easier to control.