American Trumpet Vine Pruning Issues?

Question

I read your article on this vine. When pruning in late fall or early winter, I cut the vines back quite a bit but I dont prune that back to the dirt surface. Am I actually supposed to cut back the “trunks” to the ground? My vines have been in the ground for about a decade so what I would call “trunks” are quite big in diameter and growing through my wife’s lattice fencing. Removal to the ground would be very time-consuming. And it would destroy the lattice work. Should I remove the vines down to the ground each year? I hope you can answer this for me. Anyway, thank you. Don Bennie Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada

Answer 1

I have not read the article but I doubt cutting them like that is necessary. But there may be situations like when you need to paint something that the vine has attached to or install a new fence so cutting severely would be useful.

Trumpet vines could care less over here about being cut down all the way though. I saw a nice sample of several trumpet vines planed of different colors planted on a chain link fence. Oddly, here in Texas, I have been trying to cut/kill some trumpet vines instead for almost 20 years organically and they keep coming back; may need to use chemicals. That reminds me, I guess I should go check the area where those vines grow this morning!