How to Plant Trumpet Vines From Seeds

Cut the seed pods from the vine before the pod turns brown and splits open. This happens from 60 to 90 days after flowering. Remove the seeds and dry them. Trumpet vine seeds are also available commercially. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a month to a month and a half. The cold in the refrigerator mimics the cold the seed would experience in nature.

Scarify the seeds by nicking them with a knife or scratching them with an emery board. This helps the seed germinate. The seeds have broad wings on either side. When picked up by the wind, the seeds scatter over a greater distance.

Dig the soil in a sunny location where the vine will have support from a fence or wall. The aerial roots will cling to whatever is in their path. If you're planning to plant against a wall, consider attaching a hinged trellis to the wall so the vine can be bent away without being damaged when the wall needs to be painted.

Add compost if the soil doesn't have much organic matter. Add one bucket of compost for every bucket of garden soil.

Cover the seeds with no more than1/4 inch of soil. Water well and keep the soil moist but not soggy. The vine will not flower profusely the first year from seed. Fertilize with a fertilizer high in nitrogen that first year. After that, too much nitrogen promotes leaf growth but not flowering.