Wisteria

My husband and I took a chance on this wisteria ("Aunt Dee") three years ago.  Wisteria is very iffy here in inland Maine; limited to temperate zones 4 to 8, it thrives in the southern and middle states.  Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens is what inspired us, where, in mid-May, long purple panicles of wisteria cover the walls of a stone farmhouse.  Its fragrance and ethereal color - pink and yellow-tipped lavender - makes the air like heaven.

Growing wisteria here in Maine, zoned 5 if you're lucky enough to live by the water, and 3 to 4 inland, is harder.  We had to find a spot with southern exposure to all-day sun, and solid protection from the North winds.  That would be right in front of our south-facing house.  But with a wooden house, we couldn't grow it to climb up the structure, because wisteria is so vigorous that it inches its way under shingles or clapboards and eventually pries them off.  Gardeners told us these vines can pull a house down.

So our wisteria had to be free-standing. After looking at pictures in gardening books, we went to Home Depot, and W. went straight to the plumbing-supply section.  He got a bunch of plumbing pipes, spray-painted them water-proof black, and built a tree-shaped frame.  We planted the wisteria right next to the "trunk." 

By the next summer (last year), the plant was putting out shoots long enough to cover the whole frame.  I consulted pruning books, and by tying the shoots to the frame and pruning away side-shoots, we fashioned a trunk up the vertical and branches along the horizontal supports.    

      

Here's the positioning of the wisteria in relation to the house: close enough to be blocked from the North winds, but far enough away (across the brick walk) so it can't send out tendrils to glom onto the shingles. 

All the careful positioning, protection, pruning, and plumbing-pipes pay off in panicles of heaven each late-June.  W. startled hummingbirds and bees at work this morning when he went out at 6am to take these pictures.

Comments

[Ronni Bennett]

That's ingenious! and beautiful.

[Amy]

Gorgeous! We used to live on Wisteria Dr. in Chapel Hill, NC and I always thought of it as a southern plant. Three cheers for for efforts!

[Jude]

Brilliant idea - and one that we could definitely use here in the sub-tropics for a range of lush but rampant vines we've been wary about growing. We currently do battle twice a year with an established wisteria that seems hell-bent on pulling down the verandah. Great invention and impressive results!

[Jude]

Brilliant idea - and one that we could definitely use here in the sub-tropics for a range of lush but rampant vines we've been wary about growing. We currently do battle twice a year with an established wisteria that seems hell-bent on pulling down the verandah. Great invention and impressive results!

[wayne]

Here in Houston, Wisteria grows like a weed. But still my black thumb kills everytime I try to grow one. Your plant is awesome. Thanks for the pictures.

[wayne]

Here in Houston, Wisteria grows like a weed. But still my black thumb kills everytime I try to grow one. Your plant is awesome. Thanks for the pictures.

[Ned SMITH]

Wisteria in Maine?
Y'all drinking mint Juleps?
I'm gonna try some birch here in Austin.

[Chan S.]

This is most inspiring. I'm in year 2 of attempting a wisteria standard in the zone 5 portion of my garden, also on the sunny south side, set about 12 feet away from the house. I'm taking careful notes on your vertical-horizontal support setup. Congratulations on the amazing and beautiful flowers.

[DeAnna McConnell]

Hi! I am sitting here in Newfoundland with an "Aunt Dee" in a pot awaiting planting. It was in an end of season sale and I took the gamble. I grew up in central Maine but have lived in north central Mass. for the last 30 years, many Wisteria have been admired in Mass. and few have I seen in Maine, Congratulations!! My yard was small and shady in Mass but 2 years ago I found the home we plan to retire to here on the Avalon (Torbay) in Newfoundland. (rated 5b but exposed to sea winds from the north) We always wanted to return to Maine to a coastal property but that has become way beyond our means. So here I am ... for the summers for now!
My home faces a north east cove but has a steep hill behind which faces south east with large stone outcroppings. My thought was to plant the wisteria at the base of the slope and encourage it to scramble upwards and over the stones. (about a 50 foot steep slope, I thought I could peg the vine with sturdy wire at points to keep it from blowing off it's perch)) I was wondering if anyone had suggested or shared a similar strategy or if I am just deluding myself. thanks for your time, DeAnna

[carol howard]

Hi, I was reading about your wisteria. What do you do about spring frost? Don't know what type of wisteria mine is, but it is an early bloomer and the blooms get zapped by frost every year. It is so frustrating. I have read that the american varieties are later bloomers, but don't have a pleasant smell.
tell me more about bloom time, fragrance of yours.
Thanks!

[Janine]

Stunning! Thanks so much for sharing. I wish I read this before I planted mine. My husband crafted me an iron arbor from one side of our house to the other side of our property (about 20' long and 10' high). It has really taken hold and I have my fingers crossed that it will bloom this year. I would have loved to have done what you did though!

[Julie]

I purchased two Aunt Dees and they are growing beautifully winding their shoots along my fences. One bloomed and the other didn't. The one that bloomed where the flowers fell off I now have what looks like stringbeans growing. Do I leave these or do they need to be pruned off? Also, why would one bloom and not the other?

[Laurie Vagts]

Awesome photos - worth startling the birds for! I'm from west-central MN, and have my Aunt Dee growing on it's own iron arbor, 4th year now. But it has yet to bloom. Do you have any tricks you'd like to share for blooming? Last year it really took off and grew like a weed. I'm going to try to transplant the two vines that got away & rooted themselves. Appreciate any tricks/advice you'd like to share. Thanks for the structure ideas, too.

[israa pajak]

gorgeous photos!! i am in central mn and have an aunt dee wisteria growing now for the 3rd or 4th year. as of todays date it still has not bloomed but there is plenty of green... how does one get it to bloom? any help would be greatly appreciated

[Jacy Park]

I just did a search on Google for "Aunt Dee Wisteria" since I noticed a local merchant carried this plant (large 2# for $30 each). The owner told me this plant is one of the only Wisteria that will bloom in the northern states (mid-wisconsin especially). So, I thought I'd check.... you've convinced me! I'll purchase these plants tomorrow! We have a large pergola we built two years ago inspired by the Madison gardens. They have "Kentucky Wisteria" on their pergolas! Thanks!

[Jim Dickinson]

We have been selling this plant (Aunt Dee) for many years, but now there is another real hardy one that blooms two or three times a season! It is called Blue Moon. We will have it next spring. I planted two last year (07) as bare root sprigs. They not only lived but both flowered the first sping (08) as small vines!!! I have also trained these as tree form specimens for an exotic look in a formal spot. Jim Surry Maine.