Wisteria ~ Friday's Flower

There are a few flowers that people equate with romance.  Definitely the rose, maybe a bouquet of daisies, but a Wisteria with it's cascading flower clusters does it for me.

A Wisteria is best described as a cross between a vine and a shrub.  It's optimal home is in full sun and can take up to 6 years or longer to bloom.  Severe pruning is the key to abundant flowers.  In an effort to keep our living area tidy last year I constantly cut back the rampant shoots that were invading our space and to my amazement I had 3 flushes of bloom.

Look at this crazy trunk.  It grew up and around a 4 x 4 post at the edge of the deck.  Several years ago, we replaced the original post, thinking we might lose the Wisteria, but it's top growth came back two fold.  I now realize why this happened after reading a tip for encouraging Wisteria growth on Almanac.com.  Take a shovel and drive it 8-10" into the ground about a foot and a half out from the trunk to slice into some of the roots.  Damage about 1/2 of the roots and the bush will be shocked into reproduction.  I'm not sure I'd have the courage to do that, but apparently all the pulling, tugging and the reattachment to the trellis signaled a growth spurt.

I was fortunate that the planting Gods were with me when I put this Wisteria in nearly 12 years ago.  I knew nothing about the plant but luckily I put it in the right place.