A Stroll Through the Garden: Wisteria can add color to your garden's landscape
Back when I worked at my first job landscaping in North Ridgeville, I remember all the extra work I put into this job that I just did not do as I gained experience. I had the responsibility of coming up with and talking to the clients, measuring out the beds and the site in general. Even though my first landscaping work took time to adjust, I became more efficient — and I know that I made money for my boss. I still love the work.
One thing I remember in the backyard of one homeowner, away from where we were doing the work, there were long flowing, lilac-colored flowers falling from the branches of this seemingly questionable tree. I did not know what this was. From the time I spent in my classes I had never encountered this tree. For a few days I tried to figure out what it was. You know I looked at this tree for some time and could not figure out any tree with these long panicles flowing down from its branches. And I was right — there are no trees with long flowing flowers.
I went back to my client to take a closer look at this tree. It felt odd as I knocked on the door and I told her what I wanted to do. We both went back to look at the tree. The blooms were amazing. I noted a pleasant scent and most of the tree had flowers. As I looked closer, I noticed a vine climbing up the back of the tree and the tree had all kinds of blooms and green leaves that were actually dead. Our tree actually looked pretty good given that it was dead. Wisteria had filled the branches of the dead tree with vines, which appeared to be strong enough to support the vine.
Because wisteria is in bloom now, this disguising process may be of value to my readers that may have some questionable landscape issues. I have applied different vines to this sort of situation with varied results.
The most common wisteria is Japanese wisteria or Wisteria floribunda, native to Japan and introduced to the U.S. in 1830. There are 25 different varieties of this species, and many have that pleasing scent. The colors range from white to pink to lilac to blue to dark purple. Since this plant is a member of the Fabaceae family, you will see bean pods on the vine. Who would have known, right?
Wisteria comes with some cautions.
“Indeed it is one of the most beautiful of all flowering vines and deserves first consideration where it can be maintained," says horticulturalist and author Michael Dirr. "If left to its own devices, the plant can consume fences, trellises, arbors and people."
People? So don’t plan on standing very long around the plant. LOL!!! I suppose that if you keep the fact that wisteria is a vigorous plant once established, you should not hesitate in growing one for yourself.
For my readers I have put vining plants at the bottom of a variety of plants. Clematis I have trained to climb blue evergreens, Wichita blue junipers. Large purple Jackmanii. clematis popping up on these blue junipers make a wonderful splash of color. I know that you can have some fun and save some money by covering over the challenges you may have with areas that need to be disguised. Vines may open up some interesting possibilities.
Hope you have a great stroll through your garden this week and, if you come across some issues, drop me an e-mail at ericlarson546@yahoo.com. Soon I shall post columns to my website at ohiohealthyfoodcooperative.org. Thank you again for participating in our column.
Eric Lawson of Jeromesville is a veteran landscaper and gardening enthusiast and a founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Beautiful, colorful wisteria vine can cover up some landscape flaws
