NATIVE WISTERIA �AMETHYST FALLS�

Wisteria 'Amethyst Falls' is a native flowering vine that suffers from the bad reputation the oriental wisteria vines receive.  Chinese and Japanese wisterias have earned the 'thug' rep because they run rampant wherever they are growing happily.  It is not uncommon to see these flowers hanging from the top of a tall pine in their southern range.  Not so our native 'Amethyst Falls'.

'Amethyst Falls' is much better behaved.  It is easily trained to a trellis or tuteur.  It blooms heavily in the early spring.  Deadhead it right after blooming and it will blossom sporadically throughout the summer.   

This coming week we celebrate Wildflowers.  This is a perfect time to add Wisteria 'Amethyst Falls' to your garden.  It will put out a few flowers for you next year.  In 2-3 years, it will decorate itself with droops of chubby blue/violet flowers.

This is a perfect hummingbird flower for your early-bird garden arrivals.  My first arriving male ruby-throat hummingbird takes a quick drink from the hummingbird feeder and then heads straight to the wisteria, bypassing red flowers on the way.  He steadily works at sipping nectar from the blooms.  This is a perfect hummingbird plant addition for those of you who prefer more sedate colors rather than jump-out-at-you reds.

I have read that birds do not have a well-developed sense of smell (except for vultures) and this must be true of hummingbirds.  Either that or this little hummer doesn't mind the smell 'Amethyst Falls' puts out day and night.  This is something I had not known about this most beautiful flower.  It has a very unpleasant perfume reminiscent of sweaty armpits.

I plan to move 'Amethyst Falls' away from my screened porch come autumn.  This is one flower I definitely want to admire from a distance.  There is no reason to keep this lovely flower out of your garden.  Just don't plant it within sniffing distance of a seating area.