Cooperative Living March/April 2019 - 14

GardenMuse | Story and photos by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist
P
endant purple chains of wisteria
blossoms on romantic sweeping
vines put garden lovers around the
world in a springtime swoon.
They conjure delightful impressions of
floral cascades as seen on Monet's arching
bridge at Giverny or draped across
English cottages.
The Japanese hold a major festival,
Fuji Matsuri, in wisteria's honor at shrines
every spring where admirers flock to
breathe in its perfume and absorb its
perennial spectacular beauty.
On grand old homes of the American
South, wisteria vines adorn verandas in
voluptuous style, enveloping them with
profuse clusters of pea-shaped lavender
flowers, creating a dreaminess that is hard
to resist. " Well, resist! " cries a home
gardener who is overwhelmed by attempts
to tame the Asiatic stranglers that have,
like Kudzu, jumped their bounds,
crushed their pergolas, or consumed the
gutters of the porches they once outlined
so gracefully.
Fortunately, Americans have come to
the rescue. Natives Wisteria frutescens
(American wisteria) and Wisteria
macrostachya (Kentucky wisteria) are
much better behaved than their invasive
cousins and sport many desirable
attributes that make growing this
classic charmer environmentally
responsible again.
American wisteria is a deciduous,
woody climber that grows more slowly
than foreign types and so is much more
manageable. The non-aggressive vine
will not form a heavy trunk, so it can
be grown on fences and railings without
worry that it will destroy the wooden
structure. Best of all, the American
varieties of wisteria rebloom in late
summer or early fall,
a huge asset.
A type of
After wisteria blooms, long bean-like velvety pods remain, offering
another interest and texture.
12 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2019
W. frutescens that has
gained widespread
popularity is
" Amethyst Falls, "
which blooms its
first year, unlike
Chinese (W. sinensis)
and Japanese
(W. floribunda)
varieties that take
seven years to flower.
American wisteria
has bright green
foliage and is deer
resistant. The pale
blue racemes are
shorter, about 4-6
American wisteria stays in bounds and will
not devour this arbor.
inches, and bloom after the plant has
leafed out, unlike the Chinese variety that
produces its chains of bloom before any
leaf growth. The American vine's flower
clusters, bunched and tidy, make gorgeous
displays as seen on picket fences and
arbors in Colonial Williamsburg, and have
the advantage of needing little pruning.
Kentucky wisteria is native to the
south-central U.S. and is noted for its
superb winter hardiness, producing
flowers in zones USDA 3-4. It blooms
later than the Asian types, so there is
less chance of it getting damaged by a
late frost. The racemes of this variety
are longer than those of American
wisteria - up to 12 inches - so the
dramatic displays of yesterday are
possible today.
Flowers are followed by velvety, beanlike
seed pods, hanging in masses that
are themselves decorative, forming
interesting displays that last into winter.
The cultivar " Blue Moon " is highly
desirable as it may bloom up to three times
in a growing season and its foot-long,
captivating blooms exude the lovely
fragrance for which the Far Eastern
varieties are known. Since this vine
grows 15-25 feet, it does require a
sturdy structure that will be able to
support its weight at maturity, so
plan accordingly. It is particularly
effective grown above a patio onto
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Cooperative Living March/April 2019

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