It’s not news that Wisteria flowers are spectacular it’s just that some are more spectacular than others. That’s the case with ‘Cooke’s Purple’, a selection from L.E. Cooke Nursery in CA that goes a long way toward proving there are some good things that come from the left coast! Like all Wisteria, ‘Cooke’s Purple’ is extremely vigorous and easy to grow in and half to full sun locations and that a strong wooden trellis is a absolute must for this plant to look and perform its best. What does make it different is the size of its flower panicle…its deep blue-violet individual flowers are held on grape-like panicles up to 10″ long. This HUGE bloom puts on a great show starting in mid to late May and, uniquely, will repeat it sporadically, with smaller panicles of bloom later in the summer months. Don’t be afraid to prune this plant hard to keep it in bounds and under control.
Blooming in June on new growth, individual flowers are borne on long showy racemes and open as a lovely shade of dark lavender before fading. A beautiful flowering vine which can easily cover an arbor or pergola, creating a cool, shady place. Producing an interesting seed pod in late summer, this vine has lovely multi-season interests and is more reliably cold hardy than other wisteria.
Like all Wisteria, this native to the lower mid-Atlantic area is a quick grower that needs space and support to grow and look its best. A heavy arbor will allow this plant to thrive and do what it loves to do: grow and produce spectacular, 8-10″ long racemes of lavender-blue flowers in late May that may repeat during the summer months. Its flower display is breathtaking, fragrant and attractive to any number of native insects and butterflies looking to fill up on nectar. ‘Blue Moon’ loves full sun and will flower its best in that environment but it will tolerate less sun and still grow well. While this selection is native further south, it is one of the most northern hardy of all Wisteria and blooms reliably into Zone 3. ‘Blue Moon’ is a nearly ‘no care’ plant, in fact, your pruning will encourage vegetative growth at the expense of bloom so cut judiciously!
If you love the Wisteria bloom but hate the fact that it can be one of the most noxious, overpowering, invasive plants in the landscape, why not try this outstanding, native alternative that gives you outstanding bloom without most of the headaches. ‘Amethyst Falls’ is far less aggressive than other Wisteria, yet still produces a twining woody vine that deserves a heavy duty arbor or support. Soft, gray-green compound foliage emerges later than many plants in late April or early May followed immediately by big bud clusters that elongate and open in mid to late May revealing grape-like clusters of deep lilac to purple flowers. It’s an incredible show of bloom that you, along with any neighboring native insect and butterflies, will love. Even better, ‘Amethyst Falls’ blooms dependable at an early age while most of the Asian imports seem content just to foliate you to death! This American native is so superior to the imported variety it makes you wonder why anyone would grow any other Wisteria. This container size is exclusively offered to American Beauties program buyers!
This stunning vine lives up to its name with aggressive growth and, as the name indicates, an immense showing of blue-violet flowers that breathtakingly cover the plants in May before the foliage emerges. This is the vine that garden photographers live to see in bloom so find the right spot to accommodate its aggressive tendencies! See pages ??-?? for more details on the White Flower Farm program.
If you’re looking to experience a breakthrough in Wisteria floriferousness, why not try this aggressive growing beauty? While twining at a breakneck pace, ‘Lawrence’ is noted for its dependable and prolific bloom with pale blue, white-keeled flowers in those familiar, breathtaking grape-like bunches in mid May. A sturdy support structure is a must for this big vine.
Seyval Blanc’ is a great ‘back to the future’ plant…it has been around for over 80 years, a French import that has thrived in Europe and the United States, and is still one of the great backyard grapes that no one knows! This vigorous selection is extremely cold hardy and very productive yielding considerable amounts of tapering bunches of small, white Grapes in mid to late September. The best part about ‘Seyval Blanc’ is its versatility for your home edible landscape. Its fruit is exceptional for fresh eating with a pleasant sweet taste with a sharp bite at the finish making it an excellent choice for meals either in the main course or dessert. It also is one of the best backyard Grapes for wine production creating a white wine with intense flavors and aroma. Like all Grapes, ‘Seyval Blanc’ needs the support of a strong trellising system and loves well-drained soil in sunny, good airflow location for best production
Cold weather vigor is this Grape’s calling card making it one of the best to grow in more northern edible gardens. While a strong grower, ‘Foch’ does not skimp on the fruit, producing narrow, long bunches of vibrant, deep purple Grapes that mature in the early seasons, usually in early to mid-September. Even though ‘Foch’ produces fruit that is tasty for dessert use, it’s in the area of wine making that this Grape excels. The fruit produced by this hybrid of American and French Grapes yields a wine of light to medium structure that features the taste of dark beerries that is destined to become a staple at your dinner! Since ‘Foch’ is a wide ranging plant, make sure you provide a strong wooden trellis structure to support it and expose it to the great airflow it needs to be healthy and productive.
Multiple uses make this grape an all-purpose winner for your edibles garden. Easy to grow and very productive, ‘Steuben’ produces a bumper crop of long, tapered clusters of deep blue to almost black colored grapes that ripen in late September, usually a week to 10 days after ‘Concord’. This fruit is among the most attractive of all dessert type Grapes and will thrill you with the amount they can be used fresh or in jams and jellies. ‘Steuben’ will also do yeoman’s work in the field of liquid refreshment as it’s well known to produce red or white-colored dessert wines that are the perfect ending to holiday meals. The wine produced by ‘Steuben’ Grapes has become a tradition at Thanksgiving in many parts of the country with its spicy aroma and sweet, fruity taste. ‘Steuben’ is easy to grow and prefers the same sunny, well-drained soil with great airflow conditions that are popular with all other grapes and be sure to provide it with a heavy-duty trellis structure for support.
A superb red seedless selection, this introduction features sweet flavored, medium to large clusters of berries. Vigorous, relatively disease resistant, mid-season ripening.