New Guinea Trumpet Vine

New Guinea Trumpet Vine (Tecomanthe dendrophila) is the climber to plant when a pergola or a blank fence needs covering quickly. Given a solid frame it twines to about 6m and spreads 3m across, holding its glossy leaves all year. Clusters of deep pink trumpets with pale cream throats open along the older stems, and honeyeaters find them within days.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers held on the wood. The trumpet clusters emerge along older stems rather than only at the tips, so the display sits at eye level under a pergola.
• Cover in two seasons. It is a genuinely fast twiner, so a bare structure reads as green long before a slower climber has reached the first crossbeam.
• Birds work it hard. The nectar brings honeyeaters and lorikeets through the warmer months.
• Built for heat and humidity. A wet tropical summer that spoils many climbers is the weather this one was made for.

Where it works best

Pergolas and screening. Plant 2m apart along a fence or pergola line to cover the structure evenly. A single plant is enough for a small arch or a courtyard post.

Feature planting. Trained up a stout post or an established tree it becomes a flowering column, which is close to how it grows in the wild.

Growing New Guinea Trumpet Vine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering, though it takes part shade and keeps good foliage there. This is a tropical and subtropical plant, and it is frost tender, so cold inland and southern gardens need a glasshouse or a very sheltered warm courtyard.

Soil. Rich, well drained soil with compost worked through the backfill. Mulch 75mm deep and keep it off the stems.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone moist through the first two summers, then water deeply in dry spells. A complete fertiliser in early spring and again after the main flush keeps it growing hard.

Pruning. Prune after flowering, never before, because the flowers form on older wood. Thin crowded stems and shorten wayward growth rather than shearing the whole vine.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tubes and in 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Both are young plants with a single leading stem, which is normal and preferable for a climber: vines establish faster from small stock, because the roots go straight to work instead of sitting in old potting mix.

Tie the stem to its support on day one, since a twiner left lying on the ground wastes a season. Expect steady growth from the first warm spell, useful cover in the second season, and flowering from the second or third year. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full climbing plant range
• Designing a tropical garden that stays lush
• Plants suited to subtropical gardens

Common questions

What sort of support does it need?

Something solid. A mature vine carries real weight, so give it a timber pergola, a steel frame or a heavy trellis rather than light wire mesh, which it will eventually pull loose.

How quickly will it cover a pergola?

In a warm garden with water and feed, expect useful cover in the second season and a full canopy by the third. Growth almost stops over a cool winter and resumes with the heat.

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender at any age, and even light frost damages the soft growth. In cool temperate and frost prone gardens treat it as a glasshouse plant rather than a garden one.

Does it flower in shade?

It grows in part shade and holds good foliage there, but flowering drops away noticeably. For the full display give it at least half a day of direct sun.