Wierd Wisteria

This is my wisteria in the spring. All summer long her intermittent blooms are pink!

(Clare, this is the one you have.)

Kay

hmmmmm that's weird. Wonder if it needs to be more alkaline or acidic. Try some muracid or lime in the soil.

Donna, I like it that way! When you get back on your feet do you want a start?

Hugs,
Kay

Kay, it's lovely! Wow, you got a lot of blooms on it too!

well you know I do lol

Me, too Kay! lol...me, too!
-T

Okay, Queenie, you're on. lol! Did you get your package yet? 'Mailed it on Monday.

This is the same plant last summer.

Beautiful, Kay!

Wow, it's beautiful, Kay.

Love it, love it, LOVE it!!
Where did you get it??
Yes, I got it! Stuck the cuttings, and the vine was nice sized! Very pleased!
_T

Kay, do you get suckers and start them? Do you know if all wisterias do? I have only seen one wisteria the color of yours and it is from Big Dipper Farm in Black Diamond Washington. It is white. They have it in their on-line catalog.

Jeanette

Yes, Jeanette, I do start them that way. I've had this one for quite a few years, but I don't remember where I got it. I've never seen another like it though and will definitely look at Big Dipper Farms' catalog. Thanks for letting me know about it.

Kay

It's gorgeous, Kay. I didn't get my package??
;) Donna

Oh Donna, you know I wish I could. Girl, you've just got to move south!

Hugs,
Kay

I tried when I went down for the swap, but they sent me back up North. I guess I must have been really bad....lol!
:) Donna

Kay, I was looking through my Peter Valder book on wisterias. It definitely could be Wisteria macrostachya 'Clara Mack,' but I think it matches Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro Kapitan' better. I did not look at all the characteristics to compare them, and I still have to see which way the vines climb, and I need to see if the foliage has silky hairs or not. Here is Peter Valder's description of 'Shiro Kapitan' which caught my attention:

"Flowers white, in racemes fo 20-35, appearing with the leaves, strongly and sweetly scented; floral bracts large pale golden green...greenish white, stained violet between the lobes at first...wings pure white, shortly auricled; keel pure white, with a short broad auricle, broadly rounded at the apex. Summer flowers tinged with pink.

"This is the original W. venusta of Rehder and Wilson. Easy to grow, it is a first-rate garden plant, superior in color to the white cultivars of W. sinensis and , like them, useful on account of its commencing to bloom about a fortnight before the white form of W. floribunda."

Here are a couple of pictures that I found on the web: http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=U730 and http://www.cespevi.it/foto/W21b.jpg

Thank you, Clare! That's it!!! It's scent is very strong. (I've got two big plants, and the scent is absolutely wonderful. It fills the air!) I'm so glad you have that book, and thanks for your trouble to look it up for me.

Well, since your is a cutting and not a seedling, you just might get some pink tinged blooms later this summer!

Donna, you have really, really been bad for them to send you home! You must learn to be a good girl when your visit! LOL

Hugs to you both,

Kay

Kay, I'm pretty sure it blooms on old wood and not new wood so I probably won't get blooms this year, but that's okay with me because it is alive and growing! The leaves and new growth look very silky and covered in fine hairs so it may indeed be Silky Wisteria, Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro Kapitan.' We will have to compare the width of the flowers and determine which way it climbs to be sure. The Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro Kapitan' is supposed to climb counterclockwise.

On a bright note, the wisteria cuttings that I am rooting for you may in fact be rooting, which is something I've not been able to do before with my others. This one is Wisteria sinensis 'Cooke's Purple.' They have nubbies right now, and I'll let you know if they grow actualy roots! Cooke's Purple: http://www.californiagardens.com/Plant_Pages/wisteria_sinensis_cookes_purple.htm

Ooooh, Clare, that's pretty. Come on roots! Grow!!!!

Clare I can't look and see which way the vine climbs, I don't think. I'll have to check tomorrow and see. Both of mine are tree form, and I keep them clipped back since there is nothing for them to climb higher on. I'll measure the flowers width tomorrow while there are still some on it.

That is beautiful. It looks just like the one I told you about at Big Dipper Farm, Kay. Did you look at it?

Claire, I didn't know they would grow from cuttings. Now is that like a graft, or a seed?

Jeanette

that a beautiful wisteria. never seen anything like it.

Kay, great! I'll check your measurements against Dr. Valder's book. These flowers are supposed to be wider than most if indeed it is 'Shiro Kapitan.' My vine is just about to climb so I will be able to see if it climbs clockwise or counterclockwise.

Jeanette, yes, you can propagate wisteria by root cuttings, stem cuttings, grafts, or seeds. You can also pull up suckers which are new vines which have formed from existing roots. Not all wisterias root easily from stem cuttings. Root cuttings are probably the easiest way to propagate wisteria. However, if you have mostly grafts like I do, root cuttings will not yield the cultivar that is attached to the graft, but it will yield whatever the root stock is.

Clare, I measured the flowers today. If they are fully expanded (ie, the upright petal across the back is flat) they are one inch across and one and a half inches from top to bottom. I didn't count the flowers on each panicle, but I don't think there are that many. I'll count tomorrow.

Jeannette, I did look at Big Dipper's site, and the one shown there does indeed look very much like it. The only difference was that it did not mention the fact that the flowers are pink in the summer time.

It did also reveal to me the name of my other pink one. Thank you so much for this information.

Kay

Claire, do you have a nursery business? You seem to know so much about every plant that it makes me think so. I know we are not suppose to say anything about that on this forum, sure makes it hard to write when we have to watch everything we say, but you could send me an email to answer.

Did I just say something wrong? Don't know. Jeanette

Hi Jeanette, No! I don't have a nursery and do not sell plants! Gardening is my hobby, and I love to learn about those plants which interest me. I don't think I could own a nursery because it would kill me to part with plants that I love.


This message was edited Jun 17, 2006 10:05 PM

Kay, it seems to match. Dr. Valder describes the flower petal as "standard 2.0-2.5 cm broad, auricled, yellow at the base when newly opened, pubescent on the inner surface at the top and down to the base on either side of the blotch, outer surface glabrous; wings pure white, shortly auricled; keel pure white, broadly rounded at the apex. Pods velvety. Summer flowers tinged with pink. Autumn color poor, leaves late falling."

Other characteristics:

"Vigourous deciduous climber, twining anticlockwise. Leaves with 9-13 leaflets, pale golden green when young, sometimes tinged bronze, densely and shortly pubescent above and below, pubescence persistent, particularly below. Inflorescense buds in winter pointed."

There is more, but those are some clues. I think it matches, but once we know which way the vine climbs we'll know for sure.

Looking closely at your second picture, your buds do seem pointed, and I think one of the most telling characteristics is how hairy (pubescent) the leaves are. This wisteria is commonly called "Silky Wisteria" because of the soft fuzzy hairs that make it look silky. As I said, everything matches, and we just need to confirm when we see it climb. It blooms on old wood; right?

This is a closeup of my Wisteria sinensis "Texas White," and it too has a round apex and pointy buds. Yours is definitely more hairy though. I noticed that right away when it started growing.

Hey, Clare...I counted about 25 or thirty flowers on each panicle. When the wind blows it's a little hard to nail it down exactly. 'sounding more like it all the time.
Thanks for all the help!

Guess what!!!!! My Purple Delight has a flower! I'll e-mail you a pic as soon as I dump the next batch onto the computer. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

And hugs,
Kay

Kay, you're most welcome. As I was looking today at the leaves, I am more and more convinced that it is Wisteria brachybotrys. The leaves are wider and very soft to the touch and pubescent whereas all my other ones have more narrow leaves and a course surface. I am really glad to have this one in my collection!

Congrats on your Purple Delight flower! I can't wait to see it:-)