Lexi, I had a purple one at our previous home. I nurtured it, pruned it 3 times/year, kept it watered, and loved it like a child. It was always in bloom on Memorial Day weekend. It grew to about 8' in 3-4 years. Then, in 1998...we got a horrible storm while it was in full bloom. A wind shear came across our property on a diagonal and caught my precious wisteria tree. I saw it start to topple from my parlor French doors. I ran out in the storm and tried to hold it up against the wind...with the thunder and lightning crashing around me and the driving rain beating down. It was no use...my wisteria came right out of the ground and toppled taking me with it. I was in tears...literally. I loved that tree. My husband tried to replant it but we just could never get it to stay upright again...even staking didn't help. It just didn't recover from its uprooting. I have the most beautiful pictures though to remember it by. It was a lot of work to keep it pruned, shaped, etc. But, it was so pretty. The flower panicles were 18-20" long and there would be hundreds (well..dozens, maybe) of them. We bought ours from House By The Side Of The Road in New Hampshire as a blooming size tree. I won't try another but cherish my memories.

We just returned from a trip to Annapolis last weekend. The wild wisteria (escaped seedlings?) were in full bloom winding and draping throughout the trees on the edge of the forests. Oh, it was a glorious sight for a wisteria lover like me. Unfortunately, it looked like the wisteria had choked its host trees...no leaves on the host trees yet the surrounding trees were in almost full leaf.

If you are the sort who enjoyes extra fussing with your plants...then plant that baby wisteria tree. If you don't like to get out there and prune 3 times/year...best to enjoy in someone else's yard.

wow, which nursery and where, plse.? i have wanted one of these for years and that seems such a fair price for a plant of that size.the price equivalent of 6 1 gal. perennials. such a deal!! plse tell us!thank you.

Do tell where you found them at that price. I have been dying for a white one!!!!!

lol! I love it that you guys too have been coveting these trees- I have really wanted one for ages and actually bought one today! They are at Schartner Farm on Rt. 2 in Exeter RI. I bought the purple one for $44.95, it is Wisteria frutescens "Amethyst Falls". The white ones were W. sinensis 'Alba' and are larger and were $65. My understanding is that the W. frutescens is slower growing and less rampant than the W. sinensis and I really love the purple color, but it was so hard to choose. Tricia, thanks for your input and I'm so sorry you lost that tree! It sounds like it was beautiful.
Lexi

Here's a pic

Guess I am off to RI! Maybe I should do a bit of calling around up here first. With gas prices the way they are I hate to make such a long trip.

Hi- I am new to this forum and my first posting is, as you can tell by my user name, about my pride and joy. I am fortunate to live in a house that is about 110 year old and was built by my great-grandfather. I have a very large chinese purple wisteria. My husband just built a wonderful huge, heavy arbor, for it last year and it is taking off like crazy. We estimate the tree to be at least 75 years old since it was there all of my dad's life and before. According to him, it was a number of years before it bloomed.

My only advice would be to be careful about where you plant it, because once it takes off it can be quite invasive. Ours was planted in a corner of the house. Without the arbor it required regular pruning as it will attach itself to the house and grow right up under the shingles. When we first renovated our house- as it was in shambles- we gutted the interior and found wisteria that had pushed its way under the shingles and inside the walls in some spots.

Otherwise, I dont really do anything to my wisteria. I find if I trim it lightly after its first bloom (which for me in MA is usually right around the time of the lilacs- about Mother's day), I will be blessed with another, lighter blooming later in the summer. Also, it crops up in other parts of the yard and blooms. I used to leave most of these intact, but later read an article that these sap strength from the main tree, so now I remove them.

I can't say enough for my wisteria. In bloom, people walk in (I am set back from the street) to ask what the perfume is that they can smell from the street. It is glorious!

Good Luck!
Carolyn

Oh, white garden, where on earth is that tree on BI? I would love to see that tree in person- is it at the Atlantic Inn by any chance? I remember that they have the most incredible gardens there but I haven't been to the island in a couple of years. If it's somewhere I can see it, oh my word, that is so gorgeous. Oh heck, now I wish I'd bought the white one!
Lexi

Hi spy_ri. It is in front of St. Andrews Catholic Church. I am doing a wedding there in June and was over last June for a site visit. It is spectacular!