It’s too late this season to start my kind of vine from seed, but there’s always a chance a local nursery could still have a plant. The nice thing about these is that they grow so quickly, and by mid summer you’ll have a beautiful, flowering maze of vines that the hummingbirds just love.

So you might call around to all the nurseries, just in case they might have a plant. They’re usually only 3 or 4 dollars.

And next year, you can either order a pack of seeds from Park Seeds or somewhere else and start your own. (Or if you’ll remind me come fall, I’d be glad to send you some seeds to get started…I have zillions in the fall.)

This would at least give you blooms and beauty while you’re waiting for the trumpet vine to get established.

With perennials (flowers that return year after year), the rule of thumb is that it takes three years to really get going. I’ve had some that did well the second year, but this is the down side to perennials. You have to be patient.

Thanks for the response.

I looked up the magazine description, it says Humming bird vine (Campsis radicans).

Mine grows new foliage on old wood, it has the same leaves as my neighbors humming bird vine and hers is also a perennial, also grows new growth on old wood.

Other than that the only information I have found regarding this vine, and due to you suggesting giving you the scientific name, I looked up this name and found that it may take up to 5 years for it to mature and bloom.

What you’re describing does not sound at all like the hummingbird vine I grow. Do you happen to have the scientific name of the plant?

What I grow is an annual, although it reseeds itself nicely. Once it starts growing, it grows like mad and can cover a fence very quickly. By mid summer. It’s the beginning of July now, and mine is already headed up the lattice and will probably start blooming within two weeks.

That’s why I’m thinking perhaps you’ve got a different plant? I can’t imagine sending a bare root of this…it’s just a seedling.

I planted two humming bird vines three years ago. With these plants in mind I built a 16 fool long by 8 foot high lattice work fence for them to grow.

I ordered these two plants from gardeners choice magazine I got in the mail, the plant description indicated that it would grow man high in just one year and be covered with blooms.

I did everything instructed from the company when I planted the vines, which came bare rooted and about five inches long.

However, these plants did not grow as indicated by the company. By the end of the first year they were only about two feet tall. Last year they did grow much better reaching about five to six feet tall. But thru this whole time I have not been able to get them to bloom. They both are in full sun, are in good soil, get enough water and gets fed when I feed the rest of my garden.

I have contacted the company and they can not help me with this plant other than offer me two new ones, which I took last year. Unfortunately the sprouts they sent me last year did not return this year nor did they grow any better than the first two did. Now I do not want anything to do with the company who sold them to me. I have lost all faith in them and do not believe a single thing they tell me.

Now its year three and I still have not gotten any flower buds on them.

Is there something I can do? Do they require a specific number of years to mature before they flower?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am close to pulling them out and replacing them with honeysuckle.

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me in this matter.

Sincerly
Sheri