As I drive round our local area I’m seeing the most beautiful campsis bushes/small trees - large light orange coloured flowers in great swathes, all bunched together.
I bought two campsis a couple or so years ago and they have darker orange flowers, many of which don’t seem to come out properly and they are smothered in ants - so my plants look anything but beautiful.
Have I chosen the wrong variety? Or am I not looking after them properly? Is it a matter of pruning/pinching out? I’d really welcome some thoughts/advice please. Thanks.
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There are three main types, campsis radicans, grandiflora and a hybrid whose name I forget. And then cultivars of each type. They range in colour from cream through to very dark crimson red.
Round here they only grow on a hot south facing wall, and people cut them practically to the ground in winter. And then they grow about 3-4 metres and seem to flower beautifully each year.
Is there an ants nest at the base which needs to be dealt with? And does it get too dry?
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I try and remove all trace of blackfly… which attract the ants (I think they milk them or something like that).
If I see ants running up the vine, I know to go looking and get things sorted.
Flowers seem to appear on new growth…
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I’ve only just spotted this discussion and I really appreciate it - thank you!
I have had a Campsis Radicans Mme Galen (I think) for many years and if they really do only floweron new growth, that does explain why the poor thing is struggling (that and the somewhat less appropriate climate probably)
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I think we should prune ours, but the winter does that for us quite effectively.
Is this what is known as a Trumpet Plant? If it is good on a south wall I might move mine! I’m never sure what to do with it but have pruned hard this year.