Wisteria wanders

Our multiflagellate Wisteria is thriving, and has flowered for two successive years since it was first planted in a sheltered spot on the north side of the Villa. The usual approach to the house from the north is via a ‘camino’ or small unmade road; and offers the visitor the least attractive aspect of the property. The first view of the building is of the garage doors, which are functional and imposing but certainly not decorative. We planted the Wisteria in the flower bed to the left of the doors and will in time train the twining stems along the base of the first floor balcony above the garage so as to soften the appearance of the façade. The Wisteria should be pruned twice each year to encourage flowering. Immediately after flowering shorten the whip like new growth to about 12”, and then in winter cut back the growth again to about 6” to encourage the formation of flower buds. Modern plants are grafted onto older rootstock are therefore more likely to flower than not; seed grown specimens often take several years to reach their flowering stage. Only grafted varieties come true to type.

 

Wisteria, climber, blue flower,   

The transplantable rose.

Transplanting roses whilst they are in bloom is never recommended by 'garden experts'.

When we were settling into our first home we had three large Queen Elizabeth shrub roses, which though covered in large pink blooms were never the less in the wrong place, at least in our view. In high summer we dug out the flowering shrubs and transplanted them to a more suitable location. Everyday we sprayed them with a water mist and kept the roots damp. Those roses hardly noticed the move and thrived in their new home.

Many years later and we were faced with another badly positioned and established rose, (which despite the label had turned out to be a climber), in this our 'Mediterranean jardin'. We decided to relocate the offending specimen from it's position in the shrubbery on the west side of the villa to a new home in front of the stable block. Despite frequent watering, the move combined with a much harsher Mediterranean climate did shock the plant, which dropped both flowers and leaves.

A few weeks later and the rose had recuperated and now scrambles up the stable wall. Never say never.

A bonus for us was that in digging the rose out of the rocky soil part of the root was left behind, the root has generated a new rose now we have to decide when to move that one.