Another wisteria question

OK... Last year I rescued a wisteria from a planter it had been in for decades... I took few roots ..and less limb/leaves with it.. I put it in a container.. and this spring had a lovely flush of blooms.. and now have a few dozen velvety seed pods hanging... neat.. I was so happy it worked...
Now... most every day since this early spring bloom... I've had flowers on this wisteria.. guess that was about April or so... that's 3 1/2 months ago... all of this time there has been flowering most days on it... two three four flowers open at any time.. today into August there were two lovely flowers open.. and I have to come and ask... what's up.. I could understand it blooming for awhile... as I do feed and induce the near by plants with all manner of pleasureable treats..but blooming for so long...
what else was in that wish I made in the moonlight that night... ..
Gordon

I think yours is an American wisteria (W. frutescens), they bloom differently than the more commonly grown Asian wisterias. The Asian ones bloom on old wood and mostly just bloom once during the year in the spring, but the American one blooms on new wood and can bloom more than once throughout the season.

Mine.. along with the almost contineous flowers is putting out a series of long 15 - 20 ' long vines.. doesn't sound american to me...
#3 are you baseing your thoughts on the flower or leaves.. or just the fact I have flowers now.. does american wisteria produce the velvety seed pods of the chineese ones...
Gordon

I'm basing it on the flowers and also the bloom time--American wisterias tend to have shorter stubbier flower clusters and that's what yours looks like to me (although it could just be the angle of the picture that makes it look shorter). Also while the Asian ones will occasionally have a small flush of flowers later in the year, most of the time they don't and I've never heard of one blooming almost continuously like yours is. And the American is still a big vine, it's just not as terribly aggressive and invasive like the Asian ones. But it's still a wisteria so putting out some long vines wouldn't be unheard of. But if you want to know for sure, here's the PF entry for the American wisteria and if you scroll down to the comments section, htop has posted some good info on how to tell the various wisterias apart by counting leaflets, measuring things, etc which are hard for me to do from your picture but should be relatively easy for you to do from looking at the plant. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1351/

# 3 thanks... I'll go and get counting.. just what I was looking for... Thanks... Gordon
the wisteria is dead center of the picture..

Lucky Gordon, nice that she blooms constantly, most be that roof of yours, lol Clemen

Yes... Clemen.. lucky I guess... like it just happens..
well there's plemty of fertilizer being spread about... the run off has developed a nice jungle in the back.. some local vines up a metal structure up 4 floors .. and the evening spraying of the recipe has everything behaving robustly..too bad you can't see it ... and expose my photoshop powess...
there was an interesting planting I discovered.. a flower/ seed escaped and rooted it's self in a crack in the chimney.. see it just about grows it's self up here... Gordon

Looks like you have a portulaca growing there and a variagated morning glory??? Am I wrong??? Clem

yep to both ids

Gordon-
you have the wisteria that everyone wants!...one that blooms a lot!

If you find that yours is the American wisteria, I may have to get one, myself.

I also wanted to say that I've seen various glimpses of your rooftop garden over the years, but never one that showed that much! It is gorgeous! Your have definitely got a neat thing going there...especially from what I've been told about lack of gardening space in Brooklyn. I'd love to step into the picture and have a little stroll :0)

Any flack form the building owners about weight restrictions, or requirements?

Also, have you noticed the temp being different that high, as opposed to street level? I was curious if(since heat rises, and you are full sun), that you could stretch your zone a bit.
-T

SeedPicker... yes it gets hot up off the black roofing.. when the air gets to be 80*F.. theroof surface is145*F I figure zone 14 in the summer..andzone 4 in the winter... as it all freezes pretty solid all through the planters..as they are mostly elevated off the roof ..

Ecrane3..........OH>>I have an Everblooming Japanese Wisteria...
here's todays flowers..OK they are short..... but give them some slack.. it's their 4 th month blooming... here's todays [ 3 ] blooms. . Gordon


This message was edited Aug 23, 2008 12:10 PM

another of todays blooms

PF saysFrutescens has smooth brown seed pods.. myseed podsarefuzzy..andsurely green..Gordon

SO>>The seed pods would suggest it is one of the oriental ones.. now Iseem to have 13 leaflets...so that's either of the orientals...
Gordon

SO.. now for twinnng... is that twinnng viewed from below as the vine... which I'd imagine it is.. or from the top .. if it was the vine it is going clockwise as it encounters what it is climbing on.. hince Japanese.... although I seem to remember leaves before flowers...
Is this clockwise ... seeds anyone... I've a dozen short pods
but rather than the plant.. it's likely the feeding regimen ... it gets a daily evening over spray of the nearby plants... Russain hormones.. blooming spurring addatives... spray-n-grow.. ferts of assorted types... minors...and spraying the recipe...messenger... and others..
Gordon

Gordon, my neighbor has a mature Japanese Wisteria that bloomed profusely in the early spring, and I've noticed it bloomed sporadically since. Likes yours, it's currently putting out scattered blooms.

I've a Chinese Wisteria in a half-wiskey barrel which bloomed also in early spring before the leaves emerged (The Japanese flowers opened up after the leaves are all out).

Another difference b/w the two mentioned asian Wisteria that I've noticed. Both have long inflorescents (compared to the shorter inflorescents of the cousin American wisteria); The Chinese flowers is a lighter blue. Whereas the Japanese is a more vivid purple in color -- your pix as shown above.