posted April 30, 2009 07:01 PM         

I grows wild as well. Always captivates me. Glorious scented lavender scarves hanging about. Trellised or loggia.

posted May 01, 2009 07:23 AM         

• American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) is a woody, deciduous, perennial climbing vine of the Fabaceae family. It is native to the wet forests and stream banks of the southeastern United States, with a range stretching from the states of Virginia to Louisiana and extending southeast through Florida.

  American Wisteria can grow up to 15m long over many supports via powerful clockwise-twining stems. It produces dense clusters of blue-purple, two-lipped, 2-cm-wide flowers on racemes 5-15cm long in late spring to early summer. These are the smallest racemes produced by any member of the Wisteria family. Though it has never been favored in many gardens for this characteristic, many bonsai artists employ American Wisteria for its manageably-sized flowers.

  The foliage consists of shiny, dark-green, pinnately compound leaves 10-30cm in length. The leaves bear 9-15 oblong leaflets that are each 2-6 cm long. It also bears numerous poisonous, brown, bean-like seed pods 5-10cm long that mature in summer and persist until winter. American Wisteria prefers moist soils. It is considered shade tolerant, but will flower only when exposed to partial or full sun. It grows best in USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9.

  Several characteristics distinguish American Wisteria from its Asian counterparts. It grows only two-thirds as tall, its racemes are half as long (the shortest of the Wisteria family), and its bloom time is sometimes shorter than many Asian varieties. Its flowers are not scented, and its seed pods are smooth rather than velvety. Its most redeeming feature is the fact that it is much less invasive than its Asian counterparts, especially the beautiful but ruthless Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis).

  American Wisteria is very similar to Kentucky Wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya) which has been considered a variety of W. frutescens but grows somewhat differently and has a fragrance.

posted May 01, 2009 07:33 AM         

Some people consider this vine a dwarf wisteria. Amethyst Falls has smaller leaves and flowers than the Asian types. The flowers are fragrant, lavender-blue and borne in 2- to 4-inch-long racemes that cascade from the foliage like a waterfall -- hence the name "Amethyst Falls."

posted May 01, 2009 09:44 PM         

You seem to be 4-6 wks behind us, which makes sense.

and re: the wisteria. Gotta love something so beautiful that is regarded as ruthless ...all parts are poisonous too, seeds, bark, everything...

posted May 04, 2009 03:41 PM         

A neighbor of mine, down the street, recently cut down a huge one, I about cried when I saw it...but she is coming back with a vengence...

Beautiful pics and an enchanting plant often forgotten about!

posted May 05, 2009 02:34 PM         

and I just did a quick visual check on the henbane et all. They look like trouble scratch that idea.