Wisteria & lazy days

There is nothing I enjoy more in Spring than blooming Wisteria. Now that I am back from a wonderfully relaxing ocean break with some girlfriends, I feel refreshed and delighted to get back to blogging and also to be welcomed home to this....

 I apologize now for the Iphone pics ;)

This is the first week of Wisteria blooms and it is definitely making for one lazy gardener. The tools are down, the gloves are tossed and the galoshes kicked off. Its now time for Lounging out on my well loved stone patio under a canopy of bursting, deliciously fragrant blooms. Surrounded by the lushness of the garden beyond in my own perfect little retreat. Now all I need is a tall glass of iced-tea (ok wine) and a few new gardening magazines (and maybe a clean house to ease the lazy-day guilt!)...Ahhh total springtime bliss! Its days like this I really do live for, that make you stop with the rushing of responsibility and enjoy the simple things.

Looking up from my lazy spot on the patio...ahhh bliss!

About my wisteria....
I have 3 different types of Wisteria, 5 plants in total. Chinese wisteria vines (Wisteria sinensis) slowest growing out of the three, Japanese wisteria vines (Wisteria floribunda) the one I have on back trellis is by far the largest of the lot and lastly the American wisteria vines (Wisteria frutescens).
All nearly ten years old and very well established. Four are trained to climb and snake through my large trellis that covers the back patio. I also have another one out the front that covers the small trellis above the garage door. It has taken to both shade and sun locations, I find the sunnier the spot the earlier the blooms.

Japanese wisteria vines (Wisteria floribunda) always the first to bloom

One thing I have learnt though, is that Wisteria roots love to spread and are rather invasive. They have grown under the stone patio which has now formed huge cracks. (I like to call this shabby chic character as to stay positive about one of my fave plants) They have a pretty aggressive root system, so move away from foundations, even concrete is not safe!

I like to give my wisteria a good cut back every few years, it actually loves it and is all the more thicker the next year. It is an extremely fast grower and puts out tentacle like branches, that will literally start climbing up anything it reaches. We had one start to climb our drain pipe last year, it was easiest to remove while still green and limber, but once it reaches about 1/2 in in diameter it becomes woody and not supple, making its wrapping and weaving branches hard to pull out of where ever it has started to twist around. The vines will also over time, mesh together to create one thick super vine. So really train it where you want it and cut back what you don't. I am constantly cutting it back through summer.

Here is a mesh of 5 different vines slowly becoming one, its huge!

Wisteria have to be one of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings, just cut of a new shoot that it sends up from the ground near the main trunk and poke it in a pot of soil, sprout the roots and voila a baby Wisteria plant. I cut these shoots back as soon as I see them, if not they will grow to be upwards of 10ft and will start growing around anything. We went on vacation last year and in two weeks it had twisted shooters all around my patio furniture...crazy!

They truly are the lazy day plant, when the sun is shinning and when the warm breeze blows the perfume your way, all I want to do is lay down and enjoy a Nana nap. One of my favorite simple joys of spring!

I am giggling, as this went from a Wordless Wednesday post to a short little study on the plant. Guess I had more to say than I realized...lol!

Some other great posts on growing Wisteria
http://www.greenzonelife.com/climbing-plants/wisteria.html
http://ewainthegarden.blogspot.com - Beautiful Wisteria eye-candy
http://tinaramsey.blogspot.com - In the Garden blog, Building a Wisteria Arbor
http://www.michigangardener.com  - Great info on Wisteria basics