Wister-landia!

  

  Over the years, in lots of gardens including my own, I've attempted growing a wisteria vine to make the jaw drop, to stop traffic, to write home about, to...well, you get what I mean. Never succeeded.  There was a beauty in Hope's garden...and a pretty good one in the Johnson's garden. But they were already great before I started working in those gardens.

  I'm a failure at growing wisteria. I'll admit it.

  That being said, I do love them. I love the color, texture, fragrance of bloom. Wisteria is a spectacular plant when it is happy and healthy.

  I have found that all wisteria growing in the immediate area around Lago Trasimeno are the happiest of all. It's Wisterlandia, for sure. The perfect combo of sun and rain, I guess. That, and a little TLC goes a long way.

  Panicale has some lovely vines along the walls, but all around the area, in every little town, I found amazing wisteria vines doing their thing. Since we drive all around the area, over and over, looking for painting views, it gives me a chance to scope out the vines. I watch them change from the dead look of Winter to the abundant color of Spring. 

  I did a recent post, Before And After, that shows several scenes that I shot in early March, followed by the same scenes in late April.

  It's magic, I'm telling you.

A shot from a recent post, showing a wisteria vine in it's Winter phase.
Not a whole lot going on.

  The photo above is just showing what I look for early on our trips...wisteria vines waiting to fluff out. I'll keep my eye on all the various vines around Panicale, and the whole area. We make mental notes to go back later on, just to watch them pop.

  Like mirrors, gnomes, vintage Cinque centos and tavola caldas....I get obsessive about finding them. I'll tell you what...they are way easier to spot in mid April than early March. 

  Just look for the purple haze.

On the shores of Lago di Montepulciano, in Binami, a very small fishing village.

Same vine as above, I just loved this angle.

On the road to Tavernalle, just below Panicale.
I like the color combo. Especially the wall.

A massive old vine in the center of Tavernalle.
Look how it wraps around the building.

In Castiglione della Valle.
Like a movie set.

  When the wisteria vines are at their peak, I swear...the fragrance is all around. On a warm day, it's the first thing you notice. The sweet smell of all the wisteria vines going off. Most vines are huge, and pruned so nicely. The blooms are immense, and there are plenty of them. So. 

  It smells very nice, indeed.

I wasn't sure if this old vine was a little wild, or not.
The garden seemed non existent, but the wisteria seemed pruned...
Either way, it was a real stunner.

  The next few shots are of vines that have gotten a little out of control. What is that purple blooming tree? Oh, it's not a tree at all......

Near Mugnano, this vine has climbed into an equally lovely
Cercis, or Redbud tree. Nice.

Wisteria Gone Wild!
In San Feliciano.

Another victim of another wisteria vine.
Bad vine. Bad, bad vine. But so pretty.

  Most of these examples are are vines that we would drive by two or three times a week. I just didn't notice what they were until they began budding up. Then it was a race against the clock....would we leave before the big bloom? Would we miss the show?

  Answer...No! 

  And because the weather was cool and mild, the blooms lasted and lasted...most were still going when we did finally leave. 

  Last year it was really hot very early. All the vines came on fast, and lasted about three minutes. They were hit hard by the early heat. 

  This was a perfect wisteria year.

Another amazing vine we drove by numerous times before knowing it was even there.
The first time we saw it in bloom, I made Johnny turn around and go back.
I had to get up close to this one!

Under the same vine. It was a warm day. The fragrance was almost overwhelming.
It just made the driveway a little more special.

  Panicale has her fair share of gorgeous wisteria vines, thanks to some gardeners with vision. One side of the outside walls are almost completely filled with wisteria. When folks park their cars, they are greeted with the sweetness of the blooms and the beauty of the colors...It's a nice way to say "Hi, Panicale" when we arrive home after being out all day.

The pretty vine that lives in Stew's garden. In full bloom like this, you can see it from outside the walls.

I watched anxiously as these little buds started popping out,
softening the tops of the walls of Panicale.

So perfectly in their place.
I call it "site appropriate".

One of the few white wisteria we see, this is in a magical garden of friends.

Draping themselves over the top of Panicale's outside walls, these
vines add a softness that is so unexpected.

Still more in Panicale.

Another view of the white vine, with it's purple companion.
I have taken photos of this view more times than I can count...

  This year our apartment looked over the little public park, as well as the now closed Hotel/Restaurant Boldrino. I had never seen this huge vine bloom before, and was ready to give it up for this year, too. But just in the last week, week and a half, it all came on. I would gaze down from our windows waiting, waiting...

This used to cover the outdoor seating area of the restaurant. Now it's very overgrown,
but still breathtaking, especially with the yellow Banksia rose going off at the same time.

The same vine from the street. The four windows next to the tower
were our apartment windows. Two upper floors.

Another shot from the street. Sigh. I hope someone re-opens this old beauty.

Nice red and purple shot. We loved our little car.

Enough wisteria yet? I told you, it's Wisterlandia, man.

My dream house. Just saying, Universe......

A shot of Stew's vine from below. I can still smell the sweetness of walking around
Panicale those last couple of weeks.

Massive old vine in the park outside of Paciano. This one I watched like a hawk.
It did not disappoint.

Same vine as above, from the front. In the summer months to come,
 they sell organic veggies here, under the vine.

  I never tire of these special vines, and I hope I didn't burn you out with so many photos. It's just that I find every one of them so beautiful. I honestly couldn't choose which not to include.
  Funny thing is, next year...I'll take all the same photos again. It's hard to resist. I'll keep them to myself, though.
  Now I'm off to enjoy my garden. It's an absolutely perfect late afternoon....see ya.