About a year after we moved into our house the Handsome Husband built a fence. I wanted to start a large garden, but couldn’t because of the deer that wander though our neighborhood on a daily basis. Plus, we had this neighbor {who has since moved} who would come outside every stinkin’ time the Handsome Husband or I were in the backyard working. He would stand out there {on his side of the property} and talk to us non-stop. It drove us nuts. I’m not sure what the tipping point was, but in the end the HH finally built a fence to keep Mr. Conversation out, and the deer as well.
Soon after the HH finished the fence, he built some gates and a couple of arbors for me. As soon as all the wood was stained, I headed down to the nursery and picked out 2 purple flowering wisteria plants for $24.99 each. When I bought the plants there wasn’t much to them, and I remember thinking “I’m paying $50 for 2 sticks with a couple of leaves on them.” But I knew if cared for properly, they would grow into something wonderful, so I bought them anyway.
The HH dug the holes, set the plants and I doused the puny little sticks with Miracle Grow.
Fast forward 3 years later, and the wisteria vines are wildly out of control. And I love it.
When it comes to plants, sometimes there is no instant gratification. You just have to wait.
How to Trim Wisteria
- Prune wisteria in mid winter and again in summer after the flowers have died
- Remove any wispy shoots not needed for the main framework
- Clip suckers near the base of the plant
Are YOU growing any flowering vines at your place? If so, what kind? I’ve always wanted to grow passion flowers. I think if I can find a spot, I may get one or two of them next spring.
Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love
crlzmmr says
If you grow Passion Vine,
you are going to get WORMS, WORMs and more WORMS!
I’ve never had chickens.
Can you pick your chickens up, point a worm out to them,
and have them peck it on command?
If not, maybe you should think about training them to do this.
It would be useful for when you get sick and tired of the worms, worms, worms!
dropping in your hair when you walk under the vine.
You can probally tell, I ripped out my Passion Vine.
Mary Ann says
I think your HH did a wonderful job on the fence and I LOVE your wisteria! I’ve tried to grow it here in So Cal and it hasn’t done that well for me.
We had nothing at all growing in the backyard when we moved here almost 10 years ago, but we planted a bunch of trees: 2 Leyland Cypress, 5 Redwoods, and 1 Red Oak. We also planted Cape Honeysuckle (great for hummingbirds), Virginia Creeper, and grapes. It’s now our mini forest!
subienkow says
Just a thought based on your affinity to grow things. Beautiful as the wisteria is, have you considered grape vines? I’ve got Concords growing throughout the tree-line and come, well, this time of year, I’m making juice and jelly.
If you’ve got the fence work established, maybe grapes (regardless of variety) could follow along the fence. Of course, it also comes down to a matter of aesthetics. Your gardens are huge and functional, and look good, too.
I remember growing up, I had an Aunt who made wine with the green grapes. The interesting thing was how they grew. She had a chain link fence, like a baseball back-stop. Her fence was a normal fence, about 10×20 or so. However, it was horizontal and about 7 feet off the ground. It made for a great shady spot with a picnic table underneath. When the time came, she’d stand on the picnic table or grab a step ladder & a bucket, and just pluck away.
Mavis says
I need to look into growing grapes. I think they would be a fun addition to the garden. 🙂