Problems With Trumpet Creepers

Insects and Disease

• Among the bugs that will attack the foliage and stems of the trumpet creeper vine are aphids, scales and mealybugs. The disease most apt to present itself on the leaves is powdery mildew, a fungal situation that is more of a cosmetic concern to the plant. The ailment's main symptom is a dusty coating of white on one or both sides of the leaf, which sometimes results in the distortion and stunting of the foliage.

Flowering in the Shade

• Trumpet creeper will develop in full sun or shade, but those planted in the shade will have problems keeping up their flowering effect compared with those specimens placed in sunshine. While the foliage will grow normally in a shady scenario, the trumpet creeper will not generate as many flowers in the shade. When the flowering aspect of the vine is paramount, landscapers plant trumpet creeper where it receives large doses of sun throughout the daylight hours.

Rampant Growth

• Its ability to produce plenty of seeds, as well as send up new shoots from its roots, makes the trumpet creeper a very aggressive species. It can escape cultivation and begin to overwhelm other portions of your landscape unless you prune it back on a regular basis. Luckily, the vine is very tolerant of pruning; you can even cut back the stems early in spring without hurting the flowering capability of the plant. In a wild setting, trumpet creeper can form dense colonies that make it all but impossible for other plant species to grow.

More Potential Problems

• The twigs can die back during the coldest winters in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4. If you do not train this vine onto a sturdy structure, its eventual weight can cause lesser trellises, pergolas and the like to collapse. Trumpet creeper is among the last plants to leaf out in spring, so where you grow it will perhaps appear somewhat bare until the foliage emerges. Some individuals develop skin rashes after they touch the leaves of a trumpet creeper.