We Have Blooms!

Rewind to Mother's Day 2004. As a gift to me, Joel put in a corner trellis at the west end of the swimming pool, and we wanted to grow something on it that would provide a colorful focal point to that area of the yard. We looked at many options at the nursery and finally decided on a wisteria plant. The vine was planted, realizing that we would not see blooms the first summer. We would have to be patient. The summer of 2005 also came and went without any blooms, so I called the nursery to inquire about the situation. The lady that took my call explained that wisteria plants take several years to get established. She then offered this advice: "Not this fall, but next fall (2006), get a shovel and pull the dirt back from the root system on one side of the plant. I know this is going to sound crazy, but you need to get a rubber mallet and hit the roots a few times. Wisteria plants are lazy, so you have to give them a jump start." She could tell by my silence that this did indeed sound crazy, so she reassured me this would provide results the following summer. Joel faithfully followed her instructions last fall, and now we have beautiful blooms. Ty commented, "It's amazing what a good spanking will do."

(You can click on the picture for an enlarged view.)