Bignonia capreolata (Cross Vine)

A showstopping native to the southeastern United States, Bignonia capreolata (Cross Vine) is a fast-growing, self-clinging, woody vine with a profusion of fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers, 2 in. long (5 cm), in bright shades of orange, yellow or red. Regarded as one of the most floriferous of the vining plants, it is practically smothered in large clusters of 2 to 5 colorful blossoms in mid-spring, with intermittent summer blooms. Lasting up to four weeks, the flowers provide a spectacular floral display. Hummingbirds love them and never fail to visit them. The blooms are followed by greenish, pod-like seeds which mature in late summer and persist into fall. The foliage of opposite, compound, glossy dark green leaves is evergreen in mild climates areas but turns reddish-purple in colder areas before dropping to the ground.

This vine It belongs to the bignonia or trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, along with Tecoma stans (Yellow Bells), Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow), Jacaranda mimosifolia (Jacaranda Tree) or Campsis radicans (Trumpet Vine).

Climbing or scrambling over everything in its path, via twining tendrils with adhesive disks at their tip, Cross Vine is often cultivated for its glowing flowers and its ability to quickly cover structures with its attractive foliage. Make sure you keep it under tight control as this vine spreads both by seeds and root suckers.

• Easy to grow, this Trumpet Vine is incredibly free-flowering and can quickly grow up to 30-50 ft. long (9-15 m). Give this vine plenty of space to climb. To prevent it from spreading to areas where it is not desired, pull up the root suckers as they are spotted.
• Thrives in organically rich, well-drained soils, in full sun or part shade. Tolerates, however a wide variety of soils. Best flower production is obtained in full sun. Tolerates coastal conditions. Drought tolerant once established.
• No serious insect or disease problems. Deer resistant.
• Excellent choice for trellises, walls, fences, or arbors. Good ground cover to stabilize a slope.
• This vine blooms on new growth. Prune it after flowering if needed. If you wish to increase the development of more flower shoots, train the stems so that they don’t crowd one another.
• Native to the United States.