Thursday, April 23, 2009

Can you smell the Wisteria?

My Granny Sorrells had wisteria at her farmhouse. This is the same Granny I received daffodils and a plain white iris from. I probably also received my love of flowers from her. These photos are not from my yard. Wish this first one was my yard. When we bought our property in October 2004 the 2 acres had been part of a pasture field. It will take several more years before we have anything remotely close to this. At our previous yard we had a purple wisteria and a white wisteria planted about 50 feet from each other. The above wisteria is smaller than either one of ours. When we bought at our current location Jimmy built an arbor for us to plant our wisteria startings at. The next spring we took shoots from both the white and purple, with plans of the white and purple to be mingled together this time. They have struggled, and we thought we had lost them totally. But last year they began to grow some. This spring we finally have blooms, they are ALL white. Which is ok with me, because I wasn't going to be able to get a start of the white again. The purple I can get a new start from my mother.

Some of you agreed yesterday how good the lilac bush smells.
Wisteria would overwhelm the lilac it is so strong smelling.
Now to the story of how I got my start of the white wisteria. We bought property in Knoxville that we ended out building a home on in 2000. In 1999 my office moved and I traveled a different road going to and from work. I saw this beautiful white wisteria up high in the trees on the side of a very wooded area of the highway. Jimmy and I decided to get us start of it. I babied that start until it had to be put in the ground due to it's size. We transplanted it and it lived. I begun to feel guilty about taking the start until one day I went by that same location and the county road crew and wiped out the whole bunch of it, plus another 20 ft beyond it. That spot is still cleared, so the white wisteria never came back in that location. I am so happy that I got a start from my old house and it is going to make it now. Someday I will have an arbor covered in this white wisteria and if we are all still blogging I will show it to you.
By the way, I printed the first photo just to see what it would look like for a card. Ended out putting it in one of the Mother's Day Cards in my greeting cards. I still was not sure what I thought of it, but got a very good response about it when I showed it.
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18 comments:

Jen said...

Gorgeous! An arbor full of this on your yard would be a beautiful sight. Your story of criminal behavior paid off. ha!

Susie said...

All the wisteria blooms are gone now. They do smell wonderful!

Sandra said...

this looks really great!

Dorothy said...

Wonderful pictures of this beautiful Wisteria! One of my sisters has a white wisteria that she loves. Have a happy day!

Unknown said...

Yes I can smell it from here!!

Mary said...

Wow...that first photo is so beautiful and full of color! Amazing wisteria and I'm glad you got a start of the white. Together with purple must be really wonderful. I drove past a wisteria on the way home yesterday and wasn't sure what it was. For some reason I thought wisteria was a vine and this looked like a huge tree.

Leedra said...

Mary - There is a purple tree that blooms around the same time. Those blooms stand up and you see them along the roadways. That tree is so invasive the GSMNP will not let one tree stay in the national park. Was introduced from another country. (Aren't all those always very invasive?) But the wisteria also grows in the trees, it uses the trees for support (that was why we built it an arbor). When it is wisteria, the blooms hang down. I failed to say the roadways in east Tennessee are covered right now with the wisteria blooms. It is gorgeous to see when it is hanging from large trees and has been growing for years. I just would not want it in my trees.

Connie said...

I have forgotten what it smells like. It is too early here for either the wisteria or lilac - will have to hunt some down next month.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Leedra, WOW--do I love that first picture with all of the colors. Incredible!!!! That would make a great header for your Spring blog.

I have smelled Wisteria before --in GA--and it is a little strong, isn't it??? I love lilac and even honey-suckle..BUT--not so much the wisteria...

Have a great day.
Hugs,
Betsy

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

I have never been fortunate enough to see or smell Wisteria,but I do think it is beautiful.If only the internet came with a 'smell'device.LOL
Blessings,Ruth

Anonymous said...

The wisteria near here is beginning to fade but what a lovely fragrance it has been.

Rose said...

Love your story about how you came to have your white wisteria...I just last year planted a purple one here. Our mom had one that was planted at one end of the front porch and it grew till it went to the other end. But you know, for the life of me I cannot remember what they smell like!

Eve said...

Hi Leedra!
All the flowers are so beautiful, the dogwood down below are just perfect and I love the wisteria! Maybe some day I will get to smell some soon!

George said...

I'm glad you were able to get a start of the white wisteria. Your pictures are beautiful. I imagine your arbor will be gorgeous in a couple more years.

Unknown said...

I wish I could smell them! Beautiful! My mom has bunches of them too. :)

Dawn Fine said...

Leedra,
The photos are wondeful..I can see why you used that one for a card..gorgeous

DeniseinVA said...

Any of these would make a wonderful card. Your Wisteria is beautiful. And it probably smells heavenly.

Unknown said...

These are beautiful and with all the colors blended togehter they are gorgeous. I wish I could smell them.

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