Wisteria hysteria!

[AndyG]

Seven or eight years ago, I planted a wisteria that was about half a metre tall. During this time, it's been slowly trained over an arch in the garden.

Every year, we have the discussion.

"Dig it up," she says, "it does nothing and will never flower."

"I like the leaves," is my feeble response, along with "It takes seven or eight years before it'll flower."

Today, while we weeded and potted and tidied things up, we got nearer and nearer to The Wisteria. I just knew the discussion was imminent.

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But there we are. Definitely going to be flowers soonish.

The discussion is over. And I'm ecstatic.

Andy

[Paul Pless]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

one of my favourite things in the deep south in spring time

[David G]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

Hope your support is stout. We spent tens of thousands of dollars building a pergola for a client to support her wysteria. It had collapsed two previous efforts by the landscape architect.

[stromborg]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

Up until a couple of years back our neighborhood had a 120' (or more) tall pine tree with wisteria grown all the way up. This time of year it was a magnificent purple spire.The tree is gone now, possibly a victim of strangulation by said wisteria.

[Hugh MacD]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

We have a fairly stout pergola holding ours up (6X6 posts, 4X6 stringers). The PO had started it so a couple of the posts are a bit wonky, but we figure that's "character" which is appropriate for our place. The pink was here, the smaller one (on the left) with the more blue flowers was a cutting from one planted by my wife's grandmother.

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[elf]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

Horrible pest. If I could poison my neighbor's, I would at the drop of a hat. It's spread all over my lot, my other neightbor's lot and all the trees along our joint property line. The host neighbor has no idea. He doesn't even see it.

If you have one, cut it to the ground every summer before it puts out runners.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

[TomF]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

I love wisteria, but Emily's got a point. They can spread and spread, and will do that ever more if the main trunk gets lopped. There's a wild grape in our yard which a former owner of the house planted where it could decoratively climb the electrical service conduit which has the same proclivity. Ahem.

One solution is to move north. I planted a variety alleged to be hardy in my climate, and it feebly tossed up a couple of leaves each year for 3 or so till it keeled over.

A few years ago Herself and I had a brief trip to the UK, where we just missed flowering time of the wisteria at Sissinghurst planted along the moat wall. Dang.

[Canoeyawl]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

I enjoy the smell of wisteria in the spring.
My wife has trained a couple into trees and they are lovely. White Wisteria is a seasonal delicacy in China

(I can think of far worse pests, Himalayan Blackberries come to mind)

edit to add:

[Dave Gray]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

I planted one once. It never flowered, spread everywhere and required almost daily pruning. Considered invasive in 19 states. World’s largest flowering plant

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Madre_Wistaria

[Canoeyawl]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

Contrary to much internet lore, Wisteria is not toxic...
I know this for a fact, we used to feed it to my daughters rabbits, and they loved it. It took a while forrvthe daughter to figure out why her bunnies loved me more than her!
Wisteria cordial:

https://www.tyrantfarms.com/yes-wisteria-flowers-are-edible-and-they-make-delicious-drinks/

[Nicholas Carey]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

Hope your support is stout. We spent tens of thousands of dollars building a pergola for a client to support her wysteria. It had collapsed two previous efforts by the landscape architect.

And keep the damned wisteria far, far away from any buildings. It will claw its way in between the clapboards and claw its way into the mortar between the bricks.

[Ian McColgin]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

I love the idea of an all conversation Southern Gothic story with the increasingly dangerous dialogue between Him and Her as they attempt to kill or nourish the plant, all the while the talk is turning towards death of Her? or Him? or their 20 year old punk son? or daughter? who might be going trans and She? or He? blames it on planting the wisteria but then it turns out that . . .

[Canoeyawl]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

It was the woman in the furry black bikini

[David G]

Re: Wisteria hysteria!

This Iroko MoonGate was the entrance to a 22' tunnel pergola. Still holding up well at last report --