How To Grow & Care For Blue Trumpet Vine

Blue Trumpet vine is a species of flowering perennial shrubs in the trumpet vine family Acanthaceae.  This beautiful vine is native to West Africa. 

Common names of this vine are bush clock vine, Potato bush, Neel lata. Thunbergia laurifolia is a plant that is cultivated as an ornamental plant. 

It has sharp-toothed pinnate green leaves and bears large showy brilliant blue color trumpet-shaped flowers. Flowers are five-petaled with yellow throat that emerge to adorn the lovely bush. 

The beautiful flowers of blue trumpet vine are solitary and auxiliary. It is a drought-tolerant and grows well in warm climates. It is a fast-growing evergreen shrubs. Flowers that are 2 to 5 inches in length during spring and summer. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Some additional reasons for their popularity include, they are inexpensive, readily available, low maintenance, relatively drought-resistant, and vibrant bloomers through much of the year.

How To Grow Blue Trumpet Vine?

Propagation

You can purchase the plant from any plant nursery or propagate through the germination of seeds or by cuttings.

By Seeds

Blue Trumpet vine is an abundant seed producer. Collect mature dry seeds. Seeds from the plant do not require special care. They can be stored for several months before planting.

For germination set the dried seeds in germination tray or any garden containers fill with rich sand (60%) base soil potting mix. Cover seeds lightly with the potting mix medium.

Now give water in planting medium. Place the tray or container in indirect light. Keep it moist but not overwater the pot. Neel lata Seeds will germinate in 2 to 3 weeks.

By Cuttings

If you want to propagate it from cuttings then take 4 to 5 inches long woody shoots from the main plant in spring. Cut the shoots just below the nodes. Cutting must contain 2 to 4 leaves.

Use rooting medium like IBA (Indole butyric acid) powder to induce roots in cuttings. Use 5 to 6 inches diameter containers to develop seedlings.

Prepare potting mix with 60% loamy soil+ 30% sand + 10% coco peat. Put Potting mix into the containers and water the pot heavily before transplanting cuttings.

Now wash cuttings in low concentrate broad-spectrum fungicide or by freshwater. Dip cuttings in rooting medium and transplant it in the potting medium by making a hole with the help of pencil tips.

Place 3 to 5 cuttings in potting medium and covered it with transplant polythene and put it under the semi-shade area.

Apply water to the soil medium regularly as needed to keep it moist but not soaking wet. Cuttings will starts to develop new roots within 2 to 4 weeks.

Transplant the seedling to an outdoor location or garden container after the new plants have reached 6 to 12 inches tall. 

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Blue Trumpet Vine Care Guide

Sunlight

Blue Trumpet vine requires full sun exposure. A very bright light is required up to 5 hours of direct sunlight per day. When there is a lack of lighting, the flower bloom is weakened.

It is advisable to ensure good lighting. Shades reduce flowering and encourage undesirable shape and drastic defoliation.

Watering

Potted Neel lata needs regular watering from spring to late summer. Allow the top layer of the soil to dry before the next watering. The amount of water need depends on the environmental conditions, size of plant and pot size.


In winter reduce watering, especially at low temperatures.

Fertilizers

Blue Trumpet vines do not require abundant fertilizer. Use NPK (10:26:26) ¼th teaspoon in a month during the growth period. You may use any organic fertilizer once every two months.

Avoid fertilizing during the rest period in autumn and winter.

Pruning

The size of the plant can be controlled by pruning and by doing so more branching will come out and thereby more blooming will occur.

Flowers are born on new growth, so pruning becomes necessary to induce new growth.

Pruning should be done after flowering has finished, as it encourages the new growth on which the next flush of flowers will occur.

Change the pot annually, gradually increasing the size of the pot.

Pests & Diseases

Cut off old, damaged, or dead branches from their base and remove them. Do this in the spring season before new growth occurs. 

Plants are resistant to pests. Sometimes insect pests like spider, mite, whitefly, scab can infect use 5% Neem oil as a foliar spray. 

READ MORE: LEARN TO MAKE NEEM OIL SPRAY

Benefits

Blue Trumpet Vine is an ornamental plant found throughout India. It is grown as a street, parking lot, and ornamental tree. In West Africa, where it is native, the wood is harvested for timber.

Start growing Blue Trumpet Vines in your garden by following our instructions and tell us your story of gardening. Leave your comment down below for any queries.