wisteria

First the really, REALLY good news...

ever since the first time I saw the wisteria blooming on that huge wall at Hampton Court (where Henry VIII wooed and seduced Anne Boleyn, et al.), I have wanted to see blooming wisteria at my house/on my house/on our fence, or whatever.

I think that first time may have been in 1983 maybe.

At any rate, almost as soon as we moved to the stone house on Cochran Road in 1984 (I think, and it seemed pretty much English, although Hampton Court was dark red VERY OLD brick), I have been trying to grow wisteria.

It is gorgeous when it is blooming, it smells good, and the plant is graceful. So I planted some "wisteria" at the base of the stone wall on Cochran by the patio. Turned out it wasn't actually wisteria; it was wygelia (wigelia?) something like that. although I had purchased the plant from a "reputable" garden center. It was (and probably still is) a lovely plant, though, with very nice flowers in the spring, which while they are not ACTUALLY wisteria flowers, are not really UNLIKE wisteria.

So then I planted actual wisteria plants both by the curved wall in the living room at that house (very near the Wygelia plant), and on the back, by the back bedroom. Despite all my best efforts, doing everything (EVERYTHING) anybody told me to do, NONE of these plants every bloomed. They did basically grow like weeds. Had to be cut back frequently, which I have on good authority is common.

But I gave up hope of ever having actual wisteria blossoms on my yard and/or land.

But last spring when we were doing work on the back yard in preparation for Sarah and Aaron's wedding, I got Clif Maehr to put in a wisteria vine up next to that fence, on a whim. And a MIRACLE occurred this past week: the ****** thing is BLOOMING! Amazing.

I suspect that I should not get used to it; the superstitious person inside me suspects that this will be the ONLY year the wretched plant will actually bloom.

I should take photos. Like tomorrow; it may not last...

Cheers, Lillie