Golden trumpet is a tropical evergreen vine native to Brazil that brings dramatic summer color to warm gardens and containers. Hardy only in zones 10-11, it grows rapidly to 20 feet when trained as a vine, though it can be pruned into a shrub form reaching 10 to 20 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. Its signature yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers with distinctive white throat markings appear in clusters from summer through first frost, set against leathery, wavy-edged light green leaves that emerge in whorls along the stems. In colder climates, it thrives as a stunning annual or container specimen, brought indoors before winter to continue flowering in a bright sunny room.
Full Sun
Moderate
10-11
240in H x 72in W
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High
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The showy yellow trumpet flowers with white throats bloom prolifically throughout the warm season, creating a tropical focal point that's hard to miss. In zones 10-11, it grows with vigorous enthusiasm, reaching 20 feet as a vine or remaining more compact when pruned as a shrub. Its ability to perform as either a climber or a shaped specimen, combined with its evergreen foliage and season-long blooms, makes it exceptionally flexible for different garden spaces. For gardeners outside tropical zones, treating it as an annual or moving it to a sunny indoor space overwinters successfully.
Golden trumpet is grown primarily as an ornamental flowering plant. In tropical and subtropical gardens (zones 10-11), it serves as a dramatic living screen or fence cover when trained as a vine, or as an accent shrub when pruned. For gardeners in temperate climates, it functions as a striking seasonal annual or as a container plant that can be moved indoors to continue its display through winter months.
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In zones 10-11, transplant outdoors after the last frost when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 3 to 6 feet apart to allow room for vigorous growth.
Golden trumpet can be shaped as either a climbing vine or a compact shrub depending on your preference. To maintain it as a shrub, prune regularly to encourage bushy growth and control its natural vigor. As a vine, minimal pruning is needed beyond removing dead wood or training stems to your support structure. Pruning after flowering encourages denser blooming the following season.
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“Golden trumpet originates from Brazil, where it evolved as a tropical climbing vine in warm, humid forest environments. The plant's common name reflects its most distinctive feature: the golden-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers that appear in profusion during the growing season. It has become a beloved ornamental in tropical and subtropical gardens worldwide, valued equally as a vigorous landscape vine and as a container specimen for cooler climates where it can be overwintered indoors.”