Native Vines for the Pollinators in Your Garden

Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Garden Volunteer

Bright orange trumpets winding through trees and shrubs are now blooming along the greenway, in wooded areas around Greenville, and maybe even on a fence in your backyard. This beauty is the trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), a native vine loved by pollinators. Native vines are critical to the survival of native pollinators like birds, insects, and mammals as they provide the sustenance needed for their survival.

These vines are also a valuable addition to native, pollinator, or woodland gardens. As native plants adapted to the local ecosystem, they are the source of the seeds, berries, and caterpillars needed to keep the native pollinators healthy especially through the fall and winter. Since native plants have grown in the local area for hundreds of years without human help, they evolved to nourish the local pollinators. They also became an integral part of the environment requiring less water and no need for fertilizer.

Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans - Cathy Dewitt, CC BY 4.0

When considering adding native vines for more color and diversity in your garden, bear in mind that they should be obtained from nurseries that propagate native plants. Digging them up in the wild diminishes the diversity of that area opening up space for weeds to sprout. Transplants from the wild frequently die when removed from that area. Also, some native plants, including some vines, are on the legally protected list maintained by the NC Natural Heritage Program
(https://www.ncnhp.org/media/833/open) so it is illegal to harvest them in the wild.

Also, be careful not to introduce invasive vines to your garden. Well-known culprits include Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), English ivy (Hedera helix), and Asian wisterias (Wisteria floribunda and Wisteria sinensis). Help in identifying these invaders can be found at NC Invasive Plant Council, NC Native Plant Society, and NC Forest Service.

Of course, vines need space and/or a structure to grow on. Some vines can be planted in open areas and grow as ground covers on slopes or banks. Other vines need a wall, fence, trellis, or arbor for support. Vines can hide an ugly fence, provide screening from the neighbor's backyard, or offer shade under an arbor. Vines also introduce a vertical element in your garden design, which can maximize planting space in small gardens.

All of the following vines are perennials that will return once established. Water regularly the first year. After that normal rainfall should suffice. All will grow in full sun to part shade in average, well-drained soil. Also, all of these vines have a high flammability rating and should not be planted close to your home or other outdoor structures.

1A. Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans - Joanne K.

Trumpet vine aka Trumpetcreeper (Campsis radicans) is a dense, deciduous, aggressive vine that uses aerial rootlets to attach itself to structures and climb. Its bright orange/red flowers appear in spring and do best in full sun. In the fall its leaves turn to gold/yellow before dropping. To curb its aggressive growth, plant it in an area where the suckers can be mowed down. It attracts hummingbirds primarily, but also bees, pollinators, and song birds. Trumpet vine is the larval host for the plebeian sphinx moth. Both rabbits and white-tailed deer enjoy its foliage.

Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) blooms in summer with very large showy flowers in white with shades of blue, pink, and purple/lavender. It's the nectar source for pollinators and hummingbirds and a larval host plant for several butterflies. Its fruit, called maypops, feeds songbirds and mammals. Edible for humans, the fruit can be eaten fresh off the vine or made into jelly. This deciduous vine is best planted in an area where it can

Passion Flower, Passiflora incarnata - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, CC BY 2.0

naturalize as it spreads rapidly by underground runners. On structures it climbs by axillary tendrils. The leaves are poisonous to humans, children, cats, dogs, and horses. It's moderately deer resistant.

Crossvine, Bignonia capreolata - Camelia TWU, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) flowers in shades of yellow, orange, and red are showy and fragrant. Blooming in late winter to early spring on new wood it provides food for hummingbirds. It also attracts bees, butterflies, and pollinators. Crossvine is evergreen and tolerates a variety of soils including those on the coast but does best in rich,

well-drained soil. With more sunlight, it produces more flowers. It spreads by seed and root suckers. Pull up the suckers to keep it under control. White-tailed deer and beavers eat the foliage.

Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) has glossy evergreen leaves with sweet-smelling yellow flowers blooming in late winter. The flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Its dense growth provides winter cover for wildlife especially if grown as a bushy ground cover. On a trellis it grows 12 to 20 feet as a twining vine. It's resistant to deer and salt. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans.

Carolina jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens - Jim Robbins, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Also it shouldn't be grown near honeybee colonies as its pollen is toxic to bees.

Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens - Joanne K.

Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) has large, trumpet-shaped flowers that are scarlet to orange-red on the outside and yellow inside. Although this spring bloomer isn't fragrant, it attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, pollinators, and songbirds. It can grow 10 to 20 feet high and can be used as a ground cover. Its ornamental red berries provide both winter interest and food for birds. It's salt-tolerant so it can be grown in coastal gardens. It's resistant to salt, deer, soil compaction, and black walnut.

For more information about growing these vines, go to the NC Plant Toolbox at https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu.