I delight in it's soft fragrance when I pass by the vine. Heaven! In the two years it's been growing beside our deck and up the railings, I have continually woven it to a shape that will provide lush green shady shelter in the Summer.
But that's yet to come when the leaves are fully opened, so right now we have tiny delicate leaf tips emerging alongside the glorious flowers.
Today there are just two flowers out, with buds of hundreds more to come.
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| Our very first Wisteria bloom |
Wikipedia says: "Wisteria (also spelled Wistaria or Wysteria) is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the Eastern United States and to China, Korea and Japan. Some species are popular ornamental plants, especially in China and Japan.
Wisteria, especially Wisteria sinensis, is very hardy and fast-growing. It can grow in poor-quality soils, but prefers fertile, moist, well-drained soil. They thrive in full sun. Wisteria can be propagated via hardwood cutting, softwood cuttings, or seed. However, specimens grown from seed can take decades to bloom; for this reason gardeners usually grow plants that have been started from rooted cuttings or grafted cultivars known to flower well.
Wisteria flowers develop in buds near the base of the previous year's growth, so pruning back side shoots to the basal few buds in early spring can enhance the visibility of the flowers. If it is desired to control the size of the plant, the side shoots can be shortened to between 20 and 40 cm long in mid summer, and back to 10 to 20 cm in the fall. The flowers of some varieties are edible, and can even be used to make wine. Others are said to be toxic. Careful identification by an expert is strongly recommended before consuming this or any wild plant."
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| Pretty in the morning sun. This view shows the shape of the oncoming flowers, being similar to the pea flower. |
During Summer I put effort into weaving our plant through the wire and timber support struts, encouraging it to grow as a soft green screen where we can sit and enjoy the Summer days.
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| The Wisteria has been woven in a criss-cross pattern between strong upright posts and wire cross struts. |
This description about Wisteria flowers, comes from wisteriaflower.net
"Wisteria produces spectacular cascading flowers which bloom over a period of 4 to 5 weeks in the spring and permeate the landscape with a heady perfume. Wisteria flowers may appear within 4 years after planting but can take as long as 15 years. Wisteria flowers are pendulous clusters of delicate scented petals that hang from the Wisteria plant like bunches of grapes. Each Wisteria flower is pea like and very fragrant. Wisteria flowers come in violet, purple, bluish-purple, pink, blue and white."
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| Not our plant, but I am ever hopeful that one day I'll be able to post a picture like this, straight from our garden. |
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| Also not our Wisteria but one day.................. |
As you might have gathered, I adore Wisteria.
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