Can Trumpet Vine Be Used as Ground Cover?
Trumpet vine plants grow so fast that it’s easy to imagine the vines as ground cover. If you just have a small area you would like to plant in ground cover, trumpet creeper might not be a good pick though. Trumpet creeper needs room to grow. Using trumpet vines for ground cover only works if the plants have room to grow and spread. Given sufficient space, trumpet creeper ground cover spreads fast and is great for erosion control.
Using Trumpet Vines for Ground Coverage
If you are thinking of using trumpet vines for ground cover, remember that they like to climb. If you plant the vine as a ground cover, it will cover the ground quickly, but it will climb anything that crosses its path the first chance it gets. One problem with using trumpet vines as ground cover is that many varieties tend to be aggressive plants. That means they can become invasive if not properly managed. Some, including trumpet creeper, are considered invasive weeds.
Growing Trumpet Creeper Ground Cover
Trumpet creeper ground cover is easy to grow and it grows almost anywhere. It thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9/10, and tolerates wet or dry soil, including sand, loam, and clay. The showy flowers of the trumpet creeper appear in clusters of four to a dozen, and are the feature that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Your plants will have considerably more flowers if you plant your trumpet creeper ground cover in full sun. If you want to try using other vines for ground cover, many of them fulfill this role nicely. You might try winter jasmine, clematis, or confederate jasmine in warmer zones, and Virginia creeper or sweet potato vines in cooler regions.
