Vine
Pink Trumpet Vine
Podranea ricasoliana · Bignoniaceae
Also called: Port St. Johns Creeper, Zimbabwe Creeper, Pink Trumpet Creeper
Pink Trumpet Vine (Podranea ricasoliana) is a moderate-water vine well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, with a fast growth rate.
Pink Trumpet Vine at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade; benefits from afternoon shade or reflected-heat protection in the low desert.
- Mature size
- 15-20 ft H x 10-20 ft W (sprawling; needs sturdy support)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Pink to rose-pink with darker reddish veining in the throat, Spring through fall, heaviest in spring and again in fall when temperatures moderate
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 25 F (USDA zones 9-11); frost-tender, top growth damaged in the low 20s but recovers from roots.
- Soil
- Tolerates a range of soils including the alkaline, low-organic soils of Tucson; needs good drainage. Improved soil and mulch encourage best growth.
- Native range
- Southern Africa (South Africa, Mozambique)
- Best used as
- Trellis/arbor cover, Patio shade and screening, Fence and wall cover, Vertical accent and privacy
- Wildlife
- Tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
- Toxicity
- Not regarded as significantly toxic; no major poisoning concerns reported, though as with many Bignoniaceae it is not intended for consumption.
How to grow Pink Trumpet Vine in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Provide regular deep irrigation during establishment and through the hot season; an established vine still needs moderate supplemental water (roughly weekly to every few days in summer) to bloom well and avoid stress. Reduce in winter.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Apply a balanced or general-purpose fertilizer in spring as growth resumes; a light midsummer feeding supports continued bloom. Iron chelate corrects occasional chlorosis in alkaline soil.
Pruning & care
Prune hard in late winter to control its rampant size and remove frost-damaged wood; thin and shape after the main spring flush. Flowers form on new growth, so pruning encourages bloom.
Notes
Vigorous, somewhat rampant evergreen-to-semi-evergreen vine that can become invasive in frost-free settings; needs strong support and regular control. Can sucker and spread. Best sited where its size and water needs can be managed; not for low-water plant palettes.
Sources: AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum