Wisteria Madness

Spring is in full show and progressing rapidly - perhaps too rapidly! Right now it's impossible not to notice the beautiful violet Wisteria flowers in full bloom draping down from trees throughout our area's forests. This amazing show is also on display at The Fearrington House Restaurant, where a 25 year old Japanese Wisteria adorns the pergola surrounding the Breakfast entrance. Visitors to the restaurant have long admired the beauty of the stout, twisted woody trunks of this vine reaching up to the pergola, and right now the flowers are a real show-stopper.

A native of China, it was first introduced into the United States in 1816 for ornamental purposes.  It has definitely thrived in Southern forests. At Fearrington, without a very hard prune every summer it would envelop the entire building (and probably some small dogs and passers-by).  Summer pruning is also essential so that the buds develop for spring blooming.  The fragrance on a warm day is very noticeable, and the shade from the blossoms is as heavy as the future shade from the leaves.  So stop by and take a look over the next few days!