Why Doesn't My Trumpet Creeper Have Flowers?

Climate Considerations

• The American native trumpet creeper grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5b through 9a, although it survives in zones 4 and 5a. Overly cold winters or bone-dry soils in summer, especially in hot arid regions, cause the plants to die back and grow as robustly. Plants that rejuvenate from the roots each spring expend many resources making foliage to re-energize the root systems and to then grow more stems and leaves. There may not be enough time in the frost-free growing season for them to be healthy enough for flower production.

Light Needs

• If your trumpet creeper is healthy and doesn't struggle with excessive winter cold or drought, evaluate how much sunlight the plant receives. Trumpet creepers are sun-loving vines and bloom better if receiving more than 10 hours of sunlight daily during the summer. The plants tolerate partial shade, but expect delayed flowering or reduced numbers.

Soil Quality

• Trumpet creepers tolerate and thrive in an array of soil types. As long as the soil contains some fertility and is moist but not soggy or dry for long periods, the plant grows well. Avoid highly alkaline soils. Fertilizing a trumpet creeper vine isn't always necessary, but is beneficial in sandy soils. Fertilizer products too rich in nitrogen lead to leafier stem growth at the expense of flower production. This happens if a trumpet creeper is next to a lawn and utilizes those fertilizer nutrients, which are very high in nitrogen.

Seasonal Timing

• Flowers develop on the trumpet creeper vines' new stem growth. Avoid pruning the plants past late spring, as that removes tissues that produce blooms later. Trim errant stems as needed, but do not become overzealous in pruning except in late winter when the plant is dormant. Trimming maintenance may also occur after flowering ends. Trumpet creeper vines bloom in mid- to late summer. Flowers appear in June or July in the Southern United States, but flowering may not occur until July or August farther north or at higher elevations. An unusually cool or cloudy summer reduces flowering may delay it into early September.