Eliminating invasive trumpet weed

What is the best way to eliminate trumpet vine?

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**FULL QUESTION** Dear *Gardening Life*, I have a 25-year-old trumpet vine invading my property The roots are about 20 feet into my yard, and shoots are coming up all over. How do I kill this invasive, messy vine? I will miss the hummingbirds, but I must do something. *—A. S. Cormack*

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**FULL ANSWER** This is truly a difficult plant to get rid of once it’s established, and one instance when a herbicide may be your only answer. Here’s one method I read about from an experienced gardener in Maryland: Put about an inch of Round-Up Weed and Grass Killer Super Concentrate (you could also use Brush B Gone) in a clear plastic container with a tight fitting lid like the ones you get at the deli. Cut a slit in the lid and, when the vine is in active growth with leaves on it, insert the tips of the vine in the solution, being sure to submerse the leaves. Leave the vines in the solution for 48 hours and then cut the vines near the lid. To remove the vine from the lid, take the container to a safe place so that no solution splashes on anything precious. You can reuse the solution until it is all absorbed. Repeat this procedure on every new sprout. He reports that no new sprouts have emerged from areas treated this way. It may take you a while but this method seems to be the most successful I’ve heard of. Good luck! *—Karen York, Botanical Editor* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: When to move irises Maintaining blue spruces The best way to grow gunneras Getting rid of sawfly larvae on roses Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce

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