Thursday, 12 August 2010 03:00

How Much Sun for Wisteria?

Question:  how many hours of full sun is minimum for Cookes Purple Wisteria. I want to plant along a porch but it is shaded in morning.
Valerie - Clearlake, CA
 
Answer:  Wisteria thrives in full sun.  That being said, I often see it planted on stout patio canopies and Arbors where it only gets sun half the day - the house or building shading it the rest of the day.
Here is an example:
In this photo taken late in the afternoon, this Cooke's Purple Wisteria is planted in an area that only gets sun in the afternoon facing west.  In fact it competes with some shade from trees too. 
What I also want you to see in this photo is the wisteria has climbed toward the sun and this grand old vine completely covers the patio roof - thus getting more sun than in its earlier years.
 
To answer your specific question, I am sure your wisteria will do fine.  Just make sure you control where you want it to go over the life of the plant.
Ron  
Published in Products - Shrubs
Monday, 24 August 2009 03:00

From Valley to Mountains to Valley Again

I scheduled too much for today and did not think it possible to really do - or at least do well.  My goal was to visit every customer from Central Point/Medford Oregon through Mount Shasta, California.

 Ten visits and surprisingly no tickets later I am in Redding (hot - already miss the Oregon weather!).  Unfortunately a few owners were not it, so a few visits were shorter than desired - allowing me to get to my last appointment before closing.

 I grabbed the camera twice for quick snapshots.  

This is what you see driving up to Four Seasons Nursery in Central Point, Oregon - right alongside the Crater Lake Highway.  Impressive hanging flower baskets all along the front and side of the nursery.  I should have taken time to walk down the road and catch the whole front - but time was not on my side.

As the day came close to the end, I snagged a photo at Spring Hill Nursery in Mount Shasta. 

The entrance to the nursery is being covered by Wisteria.  Would love to see it next spring.  This helps to show how hardy Wisteria is as it gets real cold here on the slopes of Mount Shasta in the winter.

Published in Ron's PhotoBlog