Common honeysuckle vs Trumpet vine

Common honeysuckle and Trumpet vine are often considered for the same spot in the garden (screening, flowers, pollinator friendly). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Common honeysuckle

Lonicera periclymenum 5 m × 2 m after 10 years

A twining deciduous climber whose cream, yellow and purple-red flowers open from early summer into autumn and smell strongest in the evening, so it is…

Climber

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 270

Trumpet vine

Campsis radicans 7 m × 3 m after 10 years

A very vigorous deciduous climber that clings to walls, fences and tree trunks with aerial roots and carries clusters of orange-red trumpet flowers…

Climber

Full sun

Part shade

from about CZK 220

Key differences

Trumpet vine grows larger: 7 m × 3 m after ten years, against 5 m × 2 m for Common honeysuckle (an estimate: sources differ).
Trumpet vine copes better with summer heat than Common honeysuckle.
Trumpet vine tolerates drought better than Common honeysuckle.
Common honeysuckle needs less care than Trumpet vine.

Which one to choose?

Common honeysuckle is the better choice if space is tight or you have little time for care.

Trumpet vine is the better choice if the spot is hot and sunny or you cannot water regularly.

Watch out for

Common honeysuckle

In Central Europe it struggles against a hot, dry wall in full sun: aphids smother the shoot tips and buds and the leaves get powdery mildew, especially when the roots dry out. It is far healthier in part shade with mulched, evenly moist soil. It goes bare at the base with age, so it needs rejuvenating after flowering every few years. Do not train it up a young tree, because the tightly twining stems constrict the trunk.

Trumpet vine

It sends up plenty of suckers from its roots, even several metres from the parent plant, in lawns, beds and paving joints, and it also seeds itself from winged seeds; a neglected plant forms an impenetrable thicket. Plant it where you can mow around it or where paving contains it. The aerial roots grip render and mortar joints, so pulling them off damages render and paint, and the heavy woody stems can lift roof tiles and grow under eaves and into gutters, so keep it well away from the roof on a house wall. Because it flowers on the current year's shoots you can cut it back hard in early spring. Young shoots may be killed back in a hard winter, but the plant resprouts. Aphids can settle on it.

The data side by side

Feature	Common honeysuckle	Trumpet vine
Group	Climber	Climber
Size after 10 years	5 m × 2 m	7 m × 3 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	3–7 m × 1–3 m	7.6–12 m × 1.5–4 m
Growth rate	Fast	Fast
Light	Full sun, Part shade	Full sun, Part shade
Soil	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Hardiness	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	Medium	High
Foliage	Deciduous	Deciduous
Flowering	June–September, white, yellow, red	June–September, orange, red
Water need	Medium	Medium
Drought tolerance	Medium	High
Maintenance	Medium	High
Planting distance	100 cm	250 cm
For dogs	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For cats	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For children	Mildly toxic	Mildly toxic
Typical price	approx. CZK 270	approx. CZK 290

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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