Wist-ful Thinking

Here in central North Carolina, the wisteria flowers have largely bloomed and faded already.  However, my little wisteria plant, planted last fall, is just now opening its small blossoms to the sun.

I've always loved seeing the purple, fragrant spring blossoms, but it wasn't until recently that I realized wisteria generate some level of controvery among gardeners and landscapers.  Wisteria is a vine, and therefore, by its very nature, requires another structure to allow it to grow and spread.  In our neat and tenderly fostered flower gardens, that structure is often an arbor or a fence.  In other areas of nature, the structure is often comprised of trees and other plants, which the wisteria will often choke and smother during its ambitious climb upward and outward.  Those who grow wisteria in a garden quickly see its many tendrils reaching for a target, and must train it, through periodic trimming, to grow on the intended arbor or decorative support.  Otherwise, any trees or large plants near the wisteria will find the viny fingers wrapping around them before long.  In fact, wisteria is generally considered an invasive species, and sometimes neighbors of well-meaning floral gardeners find themselves fending off an adventurous wisteria plant placed too close to a property line. 

The most familiar, and also the most invasive, types of wisteria are the Asian varieties, such as gorgeous and fragrant Chinese wisteria (wisteria sinensis).  However, for those willing to compromise the traditional idea of wisteria for a little practicality, options are available.

When selecting my wisteria plant, I chose one Asian variety commonly known as evergreen wisteria (milletia reticulata), and an American wisteria variety (wisteria frutescens), pictured above.  The evergreen wisteria has darker leaves which last through the winter in the hot and humid climates (zone 9 and warmer), and blooms in late summer/ early fall.  The American wisteria appears very similar to the Chinese wisteria, but is much slower-growing, blooms at a slightly different time, has smaller flowers, and is not fragrant.  My strategic idea at the time, which (disclaimer!) has not yet been clearly verified as a wise one, was to enjoy wisteria more than just once a year, and to invest in plants that would not become a neighborhood menace if I had to leave them unattended for a season.  I also didn't want to spend all year fussing over the plants in order to get them to grow, and my local nursery owner assured me that, although they wouldn't grow with the ferocity of the Chinese wisteria, they would thrive with just a little basic care.  To this point, my observations prove she is correct.  

The American wisteria is blooming now, and I love seeing it when I drive into my yard every day.  It's home is a bit rickety, as the arbor that supports it took a beating in the tornadic activity a few weeks ago, and we haven't had time to stabilize it, but that hasn't daunted its strong little spirit.  It stands a gardener's testament to the statement: all things, in moderation.