AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been growing plants from seeds for at least 20 years. I have grown literally hundreds of different kinds of vegetables, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, tropicals, some cacti, water plants, iris, rose, lilies, cannas, etc. I enjoy starting from seed.
Experience I've been growing my own seeds for 20 years with indoor propagation equipment I built myself. I am also an Allexperts volunteer on the perennial forum. I have completed the Master Gardener course through the Kansas State University Extension. I have experience with a wide variety of seeds and I have also read through Norm Deno's books on seed germination.
Expert: Tom Alonzo Date: 6/23/2008 Subject: trumpet vines
Question Your information was most helpful. I have a friend with a huge old established trumpet vine. I am assuming I can find new plants from the shoots which have rooted when the vines touched the ground. To control this vine, can I pull seed pods off as I see them? I want to grow the vine to cover a deck railing and verticals by a small pond. How many plants should I plant? What do I do to keep it contained in an area about 50 square feet? Thanks, hope you can help.
Answer Hi Linda,
Thanx for your question. I'll start this off by saying I do not care for trumpet vines because they are unruly and difficult to control. Yes, you should be able to find suckers and shoots around the parent plant. Personally, I would contol the plant by mowing and weedwhipping around it to keep in confined. One plant can grow up a telephone pole so it depends on how long your deck railing is. If you're talking about 50 square feet, one plant could conceivable evelope this whole thing! I don't even want to think about that! I suppose you could keep it under control by ensuring that you are constatly mowing and weed whipping around it. I hope this helps and I'm sorry if I sound so negative but in my experience, they can be difficult to control and they will take over the area in which they are planted and begin to look unsightly, but, that's just my opinion.
