Here’s a handy little follow on from my last blog where I suggested spotting a few hybrid aloes about your garden for a lovely splash of winter colour.Well, if that wasn’t enough colour for you, then how about this one? This week I’m asking you to take look at a rather bright if not slightly gaudy winter flowering vine. It’s the orange trumpet creeper or Brazilian flame vine or, if you like to get botanical, Pyrostegia venusta.
A lovely splash of winter colour, orange trumpet creeper, Pyrostegia venusta, covers hundreds of metres of continuous fencing
Flame vine is the perfect name, because when it’s in bloom, the plant comes alive with a fiery hue of bright orange. If you dare battle the inferno to take a closer look at the individual flowers, you’ll see the small yet bold orange trumpet-like blooms that smother the vine.
One of the best examples of this plant I’ve seen (pictured) borders a large property in the rolling hills of northern NSW where I live. It covers what must be 100 metres of continuous fencing. Like it or not, it does create an unforgettable show, and the plant itself has certainly proven its value in its ability to cover what would otherwise be just another boring fence. What’s more, it’s in a quite exposed location and gets minimal maintenance.
Even without the blooms, the foliage of this creeper forms a dense curtain making the plant ideal for parts of the garden where you need to create some privacy or screen out an unwanted view.
It’s easy to grow, and best suited to warm coastal areas where you can provide a sunny spot with protection from cold winds and frost. It’s also quite drought hardy once established, and pests and diseases don’t affect it.
A close-up of the flowers on Pyrostegia venusta shows why it has both its common names of orange trumpet creeper & Brazilian flame vine
So what do you think?
If you’ve got a place for a bright and colourful creeperlike this in your garden, just keep in mind, the mass of foliage can get quite weighty, especially when there is rain about, so your support needs to be strong. Any solid fence is ideal, particularly steel mesh types which provide the perfect frame and they will benefit greatly from a little softening plant life. Pergolas are good too and look a treat when the flowers hang from edges of the frame. I’ve also seen the plant used to great effect creeping over and brightening up an old shed, carport and even a rusty old tank stand. All it needs is a little encouragement early on to lead the vine in the desired direction and then let it do its thing.
OK, so I’m sure you’re wondering… a plant that displays such vigour and resilience must fit into the category of ‘potentially uncontrollable’. Well, believe it or not, it’s actually one of the more civilised creepers getting about… and certainly not rampant in the same way a bougainvillea or wisteria can be. All it takes is a bit of light pruning every year in spring to keep it contained. The prunings are soft and easy to handle and make excellent material for the compost heap.
So there you go… that’s the orange trumpet creeper or Brazilian flame vine - a welcome and colourful addition to the winter garden if you’ve got a sturdy support.
Can the orange trumpet handle the winter temps in the 30s in Sacramento CA
Hi Dan,
The lovely Pam Cosce of Lazar Landscapes in CA tells me that San Marcos growers list orange trumpet creeper as cold hardy down to 25 degrees F. http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1332
I live in Ingleburn, SW of Sydney where winter temps regularly drop to freezing, but the Orange Trumpet vines around the area survive very well. There are some spectacular examples along walls and fences here in our suburb. Having said that though, my own Orange Trumpet Vine, now 18 months in the ground has done little! Every other vine I have continues to run rampant, yet the very one I want to take off is like a stubborn child refusing to get dressed for school in the morning. Never mind, our Passionfruit behaved similarly for 2 yrs or so before we moved it to another spot in the garden and now coming into its 7th yr continues to produce amazing crops and all for an initial outlay of $2. You can’t win them all, as this novice gardener has found out!
What a classic comment. How many plants have we all had that likewise refused to “get dressed for school”!? Beautifully put, Dirtgirl.
Hi Phil
I have orange trumpet growing on a cyclone fence and the only thing I can’t get it to do is grow down to the botton of the fence. Our fence is approx 2 metres and it tends to grow on to top part only. Can you suggest anything to encourage it to grow downwards we have a dog and a reserve next to us so I want to block his view to stop him barking. Also can you tell me what months of the year if has no foliage at all. Is there any other quick growing vine you would suggest that can do this and has foliage all year round also that dosen’t tend to go too woody.
Hi Tania, my concern is that your vine is not getting enough access to sunlight, particularly on the lower parts of the fence, that’s why it is only growing on the top. Is that the case? The beautifully established vine shown above is in full sun, and the face of the fence is fully exposed to the western sun, so there’s plenty of light getting to the lower sections. You may find that you will get better results with a climber such as Chinese Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). It will perform better in low light situations, and with a bit of training you should be able to establish a solid cover. Alternatively, you could pick up a few rolls of bamboo screen and attach this to the lower sections to instantly block off the view… could look quite attractive too. Phil