“Wisteria Close-up” – Spring 2013 – North Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA
“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…
Wisteria, is very hardy and fast-growing… It can grow in fairly poor-quality soils, but prefers fertile, moist, well-drained soil… They thrive in full sun… Wisteria can be propagated via hardwood cutting, softwood cuttings, or seed… However, specimens grown from seed can take decades to bloom… For this reason, gardeners usually grow plants that have been started from rooted cuttings or grafted cultivars known to flower well… Another reason for failure to bloom can be excessive fertilizer (particularly nitrogen)…
Wisteria has nitrogen-fixing capability (provided by Rhizobia bacteria in root nodules)… So mature plants may benefit from added potassium… But not nitrogen… Never give fast growing bines Nitrogen… Wisteria can be reluctant to bloom because it has not reached maturity… Maturation may require only a few years as in Kentucky Wisteria… Or twenty… As in Chinese Wisteria… Maturation can be forced by physically abusing the main trunk, root pruning, or drought stress…
“Wisteria-Climbing Rose-Honeysuckle” – Spring 2013 – North Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – Growing on a one-hundred year old Victorian-era home…
Wisteria is at its best when allowed to climb something… The support must be very sturdy… Because mature Wisteria can become immensely strong with heavy wrist-thick trunks and stems… Wisteria allowed to grow on houses can cause damage to gutters, downspouts, and similar structures…
Wisteria flowers develop on buds near the base of the previous year’s growth… Pruning back side shoots to the basal few buds in early spring can enhance the visibility of the flowers… Once the plant is a few years old… A relatively compact, free-flowering form can be achieved by pruning off the new tendrils three times during the growing season… In June, July and August, for the northern hemisphere…
The flowers of some varieties are edible… And can even be used to make wine… Others are said to be toxic… Careful identification by an expert is strongly recommended before consuming this or any wild plant…
plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello
New To writing and never had to site sources before… These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring… My source is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information… But much of this is just related from the web…
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