Wisterias

Wisterias is a mysterious sounding name for this trailing purple and white plant which winds itself in graceful braids around the arbor of the Japanese bridge.
Marc Elder is maybe the one that best summarizes the impression left by the perfume of the wisterias in the water garden: “It is a by hump-back bridge, covered with wisterias, we enter the aquatic garden. In June, it is like going through a tunnel of vanilla, so intense is the perfume. The white and purple clusters, a very light purple as if painted in watercolour, fall down like fanciful grapes in the watery greenery of the vines. Passing the breeze carries the aroma. The sound of steps attracts fish which gather below the shadow of the visitor. We lean and discover our own image, suddenly broken by a surfacing chevenne like a finger on a film.

Where to see them?
Wisterias are a spring ornament and flower from April to June.

How to cultivate them?
Preferably to be planted in autumn in a well prepared soil. Wisterias are tall vines and require a training system or a support on which they can climb. They easily reach five meters, sometimes more! To be cut in summer and in winter to control them, or let them grow naturally as on the Japanese bridge in Giverny.