Ooops...email newsletter

My apologies, the subject of the newsletter "Contest - Win a Gift Card" refers to the Gorgeous Garden contest that will begin in June. Stay tuned for details.

Plant of the Month: Wisteria

Showy spring flowers of Wisteria droop and dangle down to provide an ideal backdrop for the perfect fairy tale ending, replete with flowery fairies. Clusters of these fragrant blossoms (racemes) come in deep purple, blue, rose and white. In the summer, older vines, with their thick, woody, twining vines produce a cooling canopy of feathery leaves to block the searing sun.

Although most people believe Wisteria to be from Asia, two varieties are native to the Eastern United States: American wisteria (W. frutescens) and Kentucky wisteria (W. macrostachya).

Pruning of this hardy and fast growing vine is highly recommended. Though it is uncommon to get so large, the world's largest known Wisteria covers an acre of land in Sierra Madre, California. Yikes. If not trimmed, Wisteria vines and branches are able to pull off siding and shingles, strangle a mature tree and crush lattice. Wisteria vines require a strong supporting structure, such as a wall, or pergola.

Before planting wisteria, plan well, for these plants are long lived. Once established, Wisteria spreads through root shoots which can travel almost 50 feet. Once you decide upon its boundaries, cut along that boundary with a spade to prevent Wisteria's powerful underground shoots from spreading. The powerful roots can crack a sidewalk or driveway.

To discourage Wisteria from growing into a mound and to encourage a central vine, clip back shoots that come up close to the main vine..

Too much fertilizer, specifically nitrogen, will inhibit blossoms. Unless deadheaded, clusters of pods will form after Wisteria blooms are spent. When the pods dry up, their seeds may be cast as far as 20 feet from the parent vine. Avoid new plants sprouting by raking out the pods before they open. Its poisonous seeds have been known to sprout from compost piles. Only the most patient gardener can wait 10 or 15 years for wisteria grown from seed to bloom. Quicker ways are to buy plants grafted onto root stock or from a cutting.Two interesting poems inspired by Wisteria: Of Twisting Vines, and The Purple Blossom Wisteria Vines.

"The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings."
- Joyce Kilmer, Spring

Mayflies

Quick Mayfly Facts:

• Adults live only a day or two. Most of its life is spent as a nymph living underwater for just a few months up to three years.

• Mayflies do not feed as adults. Their final hours are spent mating. Shortly after which they die.
  

• The mayfly predates the dinosaurs as fossils have been found from over 300 million years ago.
  

"In search of my mother's garden, I found my own."

- Alice Walker

Spring Gardening Seminar Series

Thanks to everyone who has taken part in our Seminar Series. At the Patio Produce seminar participants learned how to prepare and care for container gardens with edible plants. The free Garden Sketches of small garden spaces was very well attended.

Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for the remaining free seminars:

Kitchen Garden Design: Victory gardens with a twist
May 16 at 10 AM
Learn to combine vegetables & flowers for the ultimate gardening experience. This is an opportunity to learn a bit about companion planting. You might even consider adding vegetables and culinary herbs to an existing perennial bed after joining this chat.

Evening Gardens: Annuals selected for evening enjoyment
June 6 at 10 AM
Come and see what Woodbridge has to make your evening stroll through the gardens or dinner on the patio even more delightful.

Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up daily between 9 am and 5pm.