Many people confuse the trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides), which grows up to 18 meters high, with the angel's trumpet (Brugmansia), which is sometimes also called. While the latter is absolutely not hardy in our country, the stately trumpet tree gets used to frosty temperatures within three to four years. The deciduous tree survives the Central European winter all the better the older it is and the more sheltered it is.
Young trumpet trees do not like sub-zero temperatures
It's rarely really cold in his homeland
Catalpa originally comes from the south-east of the USA, where the climatic conditions are rather mild and the average annual temperature is around 20 °C. Real frost is very rare here, even if the number of degrees in the winter months can fluctuate around zero. Although the temperature differences here are not quite as pronounced as here, they are still there. So it's no wonder that the trumpet tree needs a winter break - just like a long and very warm summer, by the way, because only then does it produce seeds.
Older trees are less sensitive
While younger trees are very sensitive to frost up to an age of about four to five years and therefore need good winter protection if they are planted out in the garden, older specimens are considered to be much more robust. Nevertheless, it is advisable to protect the crowns of these trumpet trees from frost using foil or something similar: Catalpa develops its flower buds in the autumn of the previous year, so that they threaten to freeze to death in severe frosts or especially as a result of late frosts. In contrast to their larger relatives, globe trumpet trees remain sensitive to frost for a lifetime, so good protection is essential - even if the flower buds rarely have to be warmed.
Trumpet tree in the tub winters best frost-free
If you are cultivating - possibly a young - trumpet tree in a bucket, a cool but frost-free winter is recommended for this. Since the tree sheds its leaves in autumn, the winter quarters do not necessarily have to be bright. Due to the small amount of substrate in the planter, the roots threaten to freeze to death due to excessively cold temperatures.
tips
If the trumpet tree feels comfortable in its location, it will survive the cold season much better. If possible, choose a sheltered, sunny place where the tree is not exposed to drafts and where it stays a little warmer on average throughout the year. A south-facing location near a house wall is ideal.