😍Love it/Hate it😒
I have a love/hate relationship with my Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans). I both love it and hate it at the same time. I love the beautiful, bright orange, tubular flowers that feed the honey bees, native bees, and bring in hummingbirds. I hate that the nectar also feeds wasps; how the blossoms drop and are a bit messy; and that the vine is so vigorous it sort of takes over the bench.
Love wins! The wasps and I ignore each other and I keep a broom handy for the mess. In the early spring or late fall, I give this vine “tough love” and cut it back to where there is only a trunk climbing through the lattice. Throughout the summer, I aggressively trim the vine to keep it to size. Be advised: once established, Campsis radicans is a very vigorous vine and requires a sturdy trellis or arbor to climb.
😕Confused😕
My Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) is blooming happily, but it’s so short this year. In previous years, it grew to about 4-1/2 to 5 feet tall. This year it tops out at 3 feet tall. I have no idea why, but it’s pretty anyway. This plant looks best and flowers for a longer time when the spent blossoms are regularly removed. Cut the panicle flowers (the entire cone shape) off down to where the stem makes a V to encourage more growth.
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