Wisteria

Wisteria floribunda ‘rosea’. Meneerke bloem. Wikimedia Commons.

In the Horticultural world, flowers often have to choose between color and fragrance, but Wisteria is one big exception to the rule. What I mean by this is, most colorful flowers, particularly blues and purples, are not fragrant; but white and yellow flowers often are. The reasons for this have to do with pollination and pollinator attraction. Wisteria is an exception to this rule, as it relies on color and fragrance to attract pollinators, as well as us to grow it!

If any one flower has the power to dazzle in spring, look no further than Wisteria. Not only does it grow to be a large vine, (one plant can cover over an acre in size) but it puts on a show stopping floral display that is unequalled. The colors can be white, purple, blue, violet, or pink, and shades of yellow around the sexual organs. Mostly grown are the Chinese and Japanese varieties, W. sinensis and W. floribunda respectively, for show and fragrance. The main differences are that the Chinese variety have shorter racemes of 3-5 inches, and twine counterclockwise, while the Japanese (floribunda) variety have racemes nearly two feet in length and twine clockwise. Otherwise the plants are nearly identical in height and stature, with bipinnate verdant green leaves, long seedpods, and the ability to take over everything in their way!

Wisterias are native to Eastern Asia (Northeast China and Japan) with a few species in the United States. The Asian varieties open in late April to early May before or with the leaves, and bloom up to a month depending on weather. The fragrance of the Asian varieties is between grape and violet, much like Black Locusts that tend to bloom at the same time.  This makes sense given they are all part of the same family (Legumes). The Chinese Wisterias tend to be more forthright with fragrance than the Japanese, particularly the Alba variety.They are hardy to zone 5 and will grow in nearly any condition of soil, although they have a preference for moist humus.

Wisteria sinensis. Nadiatalent. Wikimedia Commons.

One word of caution must be said about growing Asian varieties of Wisteria in the Eastern United States- they are horribly invasive in the Southeast, throttling many forests in the Piedmont and Coastal plain regions. Another word of caution must be said about growing them in gardens- these vines are extremely heavy! If you plan to grow either W. sinensis or W. floribunda, give it a concrete or steel-framed structure for support, or risk a mature vine tearing up your pergolas or house siding in a few years. They do take a few years to mature, up to twenty to bloom, but the process can be expedited by cutting the trunk and growing in drought conditions. Also the seeds are poisonous, so plan to remove the pods as they form unless you want to clean up seeds and sprouts every year and risk pets and children being poisoned. As a matter of fact, I would actually suggests that we leave these specimens to well-to-do gardens and botanical gardens since they are often more appreciable when grown by others!

Wisteria frutescens. Loughmiller et. al. 2003. http://www.wildflower.org.

Lastly, there are varieties native to the Eastern United States that are not invasive like their Asian brothers, and I suggest planting these instead as they are just as lovely, and much more manageable; even blooming earlier in their lives than their Asian kin. The vines themselves grow to only half the size, but unfortunately, so do the racemes of flowers. The American Wisteria, Wisteria frutescens, grows in many forests in the Eastern United States and makes for lovely bonzai specimens. The bloom window is later in May and into June, but shorter, and the flowers are not very fragrant, and carry soapy overtones. The Kentucky Wisteria, Wisteria macrostachya is not pleasantly fragrant, but is our one true blue Kentucky native outside our UK basketball team! Now if only the flowers were UK blue to match…

There are other Wisterias out there, some blooming later in the summer that are also pleasantly fragrant, and some with repeat blooms. They have overall made a wonderful impression on Oriental arts, and I cannot help but to think of Chinese vases or Japanese plates with Wisteria blooms bedecking them.

Pittosporum

Pittosporum tobira. http://www.toptropicals.com.

I wish there were more days like today outside. If most March days are a spring tease, today was a Godsend of warmth! It was about 75 degrees earlier and I have the sunburns to show for my long day spent in the beautiful weather (actually it was work related, but still!) While warmth in March is quite brief (as a matter of fact- in only 24 hours it will be below freezing and snowing again) the warmth was enough for a few maples to start blooming- of which I will note their unique fragrance later. Days like today remind me that spring is very close- so I need to finish my subtropical winter weather bloomers quickly!

Pittosporum tobira is another one of those transplanted Asian winter bloomers that southerners will again enjoy out in the element; but of all the plants on the list- it is the easiest to grow in a pot. There are even variegated forms for the indoor gardener, and I’ve seen many of these outdoors in Florida as well. Practically a succulent, Pittosporum tobira grows on many beaches in the south, which was the first and only time I’ve seen this plant in bloom. A few years ago on a spring vacation trip to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina- I stumbled across a big group of Pittosporum tobira bushes on my way down to the beach, and couldn’t believe the scent coming from the flowers! While the plant is often called Japanese Mockorange, it should be called Mock Jasmine instead- as the flowers to my nose smell exactly like Jasmine tea. Others will say orange blossom or lillies; Tovah Martin in The Essence of Paradise said Easter lillies with baby powder and a touch of lemon. Either way, its definitely a good, sweet floral.

Pittosporum are yet another great landscape plant, and are a common sight along the Gulf Coast and in Florida. They are hardy to zone 9, perhaps 8b, and are another plant I would add if I had a southern garden of my own. They bloom outdoors from March through April, and in greenhouses from March until May. The flowers are a creamy white that age to a golden ochre before dropping, adding a visual pleasure to the olfactory one.

Pittosporum eugenioides. http://www.topseeds.co.nz.

Other Pittosporum species in America include many native to Hawaii. Many of the Pittosporum species are also fragrant/night fragrant, and others grown in the states include Pittosporum eugenioides, Pittosporum rhombifolia, and Pittosporum undulatum. Pittosporum undulatum is frequently grown in Mediterranean climates and is seen as a weed in many parts of the world, but it also has a knockout fragrance giving it the name Mock Orange. Pittosporum eugenioides is also heavily fragrant, almost like Cestrum nocturnum, but more chocolate-like. Its so strong, it makes all of Los Angeles partake of its essence during the late winter and early spring. I would have never known it was this plant that made LA smell so wonderful had I not happened to see it at Fairchild gardens back in January and was instantly transported back to LA by the fragrance. Smell is such a wonderful thing for memories, right?

Overall, this is another wonderfully fragrant family with great usage in the landscape and in the fragrance arena. Some of the seeds can make oil, and P. eugenioides has wonderfully lemon-scented leaves as well. So whether you live in California or Florida, go out and sniff out a Pittosporum for me!