Hummingbirds Love Trumpet Vines
By Ken Lain, The Garden Guy

It's official; we are no longer are in a drought. I told you the rains were coming in July: they always do. The only uncertainty is just how much rain will fall and whether that storm cloud will dump water over your garden or miss it entirely! As much as my gardens and I love rainwater, I have to admit that I miss the sun and could do without the weight of all this humid air.

The big concern with rain-delivering monsoon storms is hail. For all you gardeners who just moved her, trust me on this one. Hail can be so bad in the Arizona mountains this time of year that our landscapes appear to be blanketed with snow.

Several customers have brought in classic examples of hail damage. The leaves of the hail pelted plants are torn, bruised, and look really beaten up, but the health of the plant is fine. Roses, crape myrtles, and butterfly bushes can be stripped of every blossom, but quickly will re-form new leaves and flower buds.

Plants to watch and protect from hail are plants with large leaves. Use a sheet or that frost cover you put away in April to cover hostas, cannas, tomatoes, and squashes. Go through the motions of covering endangered plants if you even suspect a storm might produce hail. Better safe than sorry.

If you haven't fertilized your yard within the last four weeks, this rainy season is a great time to do it. It's no secret that my favorite plant food is fertilome's Start-N-Grow. Sprinkle it on your yard and garden and the next rain will activate the nutrients. I just had the nursery pros at the garden center fertilize every tree we have in stock. The trees were looking pale and obviously needed a nutritious pick-me-up. It's been a week since they were 'Start-N-Grow'-ed and they look better already.

While our monsoons are handling watering duty for us, resist the urge to use water-soluble fertilizers like Miracle-Gro. The next rain storm will wash this type of plant food right past the root zones of your plants. Large, deep-rooted plants need fertilizer to stay around their root zones long enough for them to absorb large quantities of food. It's only logical that large outdoor plants have big appetites. Reserve liquid plant foods for indoor plants.

Have you noticed a spectacular orange-to-red flower blooming on lush green vines in the neighborhood? These are trumpet vines, Campsis radicans, perennial bloomers that have brightened our area for a long time. The plant is rather unassuming most of the year but its sudden show of such large bright flowers is breathtaking. The vine is covered with dozens of the four-inch wide, vase-shaped flowers. Hummingbirds will snack on the blossoms right into fall when the entire plant will turn brilliant shades of gold.

For the best color, trumpet vines like at least six hours of sun. However, good drainage is the key to exceptional growth and the brightest colors. When planted in a wide hole then filled in with heavily mulched native soil, a trumpet vine will thrive. Once established, this plant is a moderate to low water user.

Around town there are large specimens that have grown to about 12 feet high by 12 feet wide. However, many of my customers easily keep this vine pruned to a lower height. When a trumpet vine is happy you can expect it to grow six feet or more in a year. If you have a yard with erosion issues, keep in mind that this plant is great at retaining soil.

Another vine that can address erosion control, provide privacy screening or fence covers is the hardy kiwi vine. That's right, the kiwi vine. Although this lush green vine really puts on edible kiwi fruits, I think the plant is valuable for the beauty of the vine alone. The leaves look much like the outer skin of the kiwi fruit and grows profusely when it has something to climb. Kiwi vines are self fertile so you only need one to produce fruit, but the more vines you grow the more scrumptious fruits you'll have to enjoy. Each plant will easily cover a six-foot high fence and spread to about eight feet wide.

When asked about vines for erosion control I always suggest the Virginia creeper. Although native to to the state of Virginia, I have seen this vine growing wild in the Bradshaw mountains, its strong, steady growth covering a hillside. In fall Virginia creepers have a striking red color that rivals that of maples and burning bush. It's beautiful, drought hardy, and easy to grow; now that's some vine, the Virginia creeper.

Until next week, I’ll see you in the garden center.

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