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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wisteria Vine


Wisteria Vine
Our Chinese Wisteria vine is blooming.
So what?  Well…
They said it couldn’t flourish here in Zone 4.  They said it needs Zone 6 to thrive.  But here it is.  Chinese Wisteria, a three-year old plant growing on the pergola that shelters our back door.
They said it wouldn’t grow.  They said if it did grow, it wouldn’t bloom.  But, here it is.  Here it is with its sweet fragrance, twining its dark grey bark counter-clockwise around the vertical supports.  Here it is with its delicate oval leaves on waving stems 4 to 16 inches long.
We were surprised when we saw the tiny corn-on-the-cob shaped blossoms beginning.  Though we had hoped it would bloom, we didn’t think it would because all the experts said it couldn’t.  
What a delight to see the little cobs lengthen and turn purple-blue, to see tiny florets on a raceme!  And, not just one but many. There are more than a dozen stems with clusters of purple-blue flowers swaying in the spring breeze at our door.
Our Chinese Wisteria is blooming…so what? 
Well…it’s blooming, so there.

And...so there.



All photos are mine.

8 comments:

Maude Lynn said...

It's lovely!

dosankodebbie said...

I love wisteria! The shape, the color, the fragrance. In Japan, they say it's a bad idea to plant it too near the house. I never understood why until we moved to our present house where the wisteria vines that someone else had once planted, were choking all the other nearby bushes and pushing into the cracks of our walls. Wasps built their nests in it too. We reluctantly got it removed, but I've noticed the vines are coming back, poking through the soil in distant parts of the yard (sneaky plant).

Gwen Buchanan said...

Absolutely gorgeous carol.. I have always been captivated by those draping blossoms.. you have a perfect setting for them.
Hope they stay in bloom for a good long time.

JaneTims128 said...

Hi. I love Wisteria ... think it looks like the floral version of bunches of grapes... and I always thought having it here would be impossible, but I do see it occasionally. Lucky you!!! Jane

Carol Steel said...

Thanks, Mama Zen.

Carol Steel said...

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for the warning about Wisteria. Since this isn't the zone in which they grow and flourish nornally, I doubt we'll have to worry about the dangers of an invasive vine. We'll be lucky if it survives the winters.

Carol Steel said...

Thanks, Gwen.

We are happy to see it blooming and are enjoying it.

Carol Steel said...

Hi Jane,

I think it looks like hanging grapes too. We do feel lucky to have it started here and are hoping it will survive the winters.