15+ year old trumpet vine...

[Cadillactaste]

Seen some gnarly base on a trumpet vine...friends of ours are cleaning out an area to put an addition. Said we could take what we wanted. Not sure if a trumpet vine bonsai would be a lot of upkeep or worth the hassle. Had a cool base...and such...but, if it's a lot of work...I may pass.

Not sure what the shrubs were...some creeping juniper. (Which we'll transplant to our own flower beds) The base of that vine really intrigued me. (Sorry not enough time to grab photos...had to just tell them we would take what...so we staked our claim before someone else did, first come first dibs.) I had to be somewhere and couldn't stay long...got a cool garden bench as well.

 

[Dav4]

If it has a nice base, I'd dig it and throw it in a pot. They have been used successfully as bonsai material by some, so I think it's worth a shot.

 

[bonsaibp]

Dig it, pot it and see what happens it could be cool. I've seen a few here not at all traditional but cool none the less. Especially with a big gnarly trunk.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Thanks guys...so how much of the root does one need for these? Can I use the bougainvillea fast draining soil for now?

 

[Dav4]

Get as much of the roots as you can...but trumpet vines are rampant growers and almost impossible to kill, so I bet it will do fine with less then ideal roots post digging. I suspect any good fast draining soil will work for them, too. Looking forward to the pictures.

 

[coh]

Several members of the local club, including Bill Valavanis, have trumpet vine bonsai. They are ...interesting. Kind of coarse growers, like wisteria. They can develop nice trunks and bark.

How much root...well, I dug one up last spring. It was a plant that we put in the ground about 6-8 years ago, in the wrong place (they send up suckers everywhere). Trunk is not huge (maybe 2" or a bit less) but I threw it in a pot. Got almost no roots when I dug it. It recovered well and threw out decent growth and flowered the first year. So get as much as you can, but if you don't get much, you might still be OK.

Chris

 

[Cadillactaste]

Reading up on this vine...many end up with like poison ivy like rash from contact with this vine. :/ That worries me. That doesn't sound pleasant at all.

 

[GrimLore]

Reading up on this vine...many end up with like poison ivy like rash from contact with this vine. :/ That worries me. That doesn't sound pleasant at all.

That would be rare at best and normally you would be wearing gloves anyways

Grimmy