Friday, June 17, 2011

Wisteria


Have you ever had a British car born sometime between World War 2 and the American invasion in the 80's? If so, you know the sound. Brit cars audibly rust. Armstrong Siddeley's to Vauxhall's, rust buckets all. Their rusting keeps owners awake nights. I've had to move Camilla to the barn in able to sleep.


Now I'm kept awake by wisteria. Are you supposed to be able to hear wisteria grow?

I have a penchant for attempting to growing things that don't necessarily belong here. I've never seen wisteria in bloom in Mayberry, and understand it takes several years for the plant to mature before flowering. That didn't stop me when I saw a few plants for sale locally.

The 2 questions I always ask plantsmen are "is it deer candy" and "will it overwinter", no to the first is usually all it takes to tempt me to buy. Last fall I bought 2 wisteria plants, stuck them in the ground along the rusty farm fence and forgot about them. Last week I remembered they were there, took a look and was amazed not only that they survived but at how much they had grown. Now I look every day.


First I thought the noise I heard was our plague of cicadas. Now I know it to be wisteria in full second year flight. Presumably, as with ivy, first it sleeps, then it creeps, then it runs like hell. Can't wait. Now, if only the climbing hydrangea would flower.

Toad

6 comments:

Silk Regimental said...

If it looks that beautiful - grow more of it! Nature's reward for putting up with such a long-hard winter.

Martha said...

Love wisteria and the smell!!! We have quite a lot at Linderhof -- and it is slow growing but once it takes off . . . when we were in England we saw some with a trunk as big as a man's leg -- but they keep it trimmed to one branch.

JMW said...

I adore wisteria! So beautiful and fragrant.

LPC said...

So very lovely Toad. I adore it when the poetic spirit peeks out. We had wisteria, and the flowers all fell down as my parents' marriage died. Not the overhead vines' fault, though, not at all.

Barbara said...

Happy Father's Day, Toad!

Love to see wisteria climbing all over a trellis.

Suburban Princess said...

This is the 3rd year we have had it and it has finally flowered. At night I always wonder what critter is sitting outside with me making all that noise...now I know it's the wisteria!