Wisteria 'Amethyst Falls'

'Amethyst Falls,' like other Wisteria, is a strong grower, reaching 30 feet or more. It is, however, not invasive like its Asian cousins. This native variety is less vigorous and easier to manage, refraining from choking out trees over time, as some Wisteria are wont to do - a distinct advantage in the South, where Wisteria can run wild! All of these things make it an ecologically sensitive choice.

'Amethyst Falls' flowers sooner than the Asian types (some of which can take 10 years or more), blooming its first season with fragrant, vividly blue flowers on 4- to 6-inch racemes that appear in spring and repeat all summer. Its bloom also arrive about two weeks later than others, so late-winter frosts seldom affect flowering.

The many attributes of 'Amethyst Falls', which include its deer and drought tolerance and its disease-resistant foliage, earned it a Georgia Gold Medal in 2006. This gorgeous vine is a perfect choice for pergolas, trellises, fences, arbors, and containers, attracting butterflies to your garden all summer long. It can also be trained as a free-standing tree - tie it to a sturdy 5- or 6-foot stake and prune the top to encourage branching.

Pruning should occur in late winter to shape and remove any undesirable growth. Another light trim after the first flush of flowers will improve branching and produce an encore bloom. Zones 5-9.

• Butterflies like a lot of sunlight, so locate your garden in a sunny area.
• If you live in a windy location, plant your butterfly-attracting plants near a building, fence, or hedge to protect them.
• Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.
• Since many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved, try to put in some that are native to your area. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center provides lists of plants native to states and regions.
• Certain colors are particularly attracting to butterflies – red, yellow, pink, purple, or orange blooms that are clustered or flat-topped, with a short flower tubes are especially attractive to adult butterflies.
• Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants.
• Provide a shallow source of water – try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl.
• Place a rock in a sunny spot for butterfly basking and resting.
• Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.
• If you want butterflies to breed in your garden, put in some caterpillar food plants, such as parsley, milkweeds, asters, thistles, violets, clover, grasses, and Queen Anne’s Lace.
• Since butterflies need nectar throughout the entire adult phase of their lives, try to create a design that will allow for a continuous bloom – when one stops blooming, another starts.

As the deer population has boomed and food has become scarcer, they have become more aggressive. In some areas deer will strip your garden bare, leaving nothing green or flowery behind. While there is no such thing as a completely deer-proof garden, there are some effective things you can do to protect your garden from these hungry animals.

Use physical barriers

A High Fence
Deer can jump pretty high, but a fence higher than eight feet (higher on an up-slope) and flush with the ground will keep any deer out.

Electric Fences
They are a much easier and less expensive solution. Deer generally will not try to jump electric fences, but will rather try to climb through the wires, receiving a deterring shock.

Bird-Netting
An even less extreme physical option is to put bird netting over your larger and more susceptible plants.

Plant Deer-resistant Varieties

Herbs, some conifers, and many flowers are some of the best deer-resistant plants. More fragrant plants will often deter predation. Planting just a few deer-resistant plants will limit grazing of your other plants. Remember, "deer-resistant" does not mean deer-proof. A hungry animal will eat just about anything.

Having a dog In the Family

Owning a dog, especially a big dog will almost always keep deer from approaching your home. Just the scent of the dog will keep most deer away, and if your dog lives outside you will probably never see any deer.

For most gardeners, it is a combination of different solutions that works best. Every gardener has to find the solution that works best in their garden.

Shop All Deer-resistant Plants

Wisteria

Planting:

Set out plants at least 6 feet apart, in a well-drained, humusy soil. Full sun assures optimum bloom; Wisteria also prefers locations with southern or western exposures.

Maintenance:

Avoid nitrogenous fertilizers, which will produce exces sive vegetation at the expense of flowering. Instead, yearly applications of super phosphate should be made in the fall.

To Prune:

Allow one leader shoot to grow from the end of each main framework branch. Cut these back – best if done in winter – by half. In the summer, pinch side shoots to 6 or 7 leaves, and pinch back side shoot branchlets to first or second leaf.

Follow this procedure for several years, until the plant has filled its desired space; thereafter, only the side shoots will need pruning. In winter, cut these back to spurs 1 to 3 inches from the base and eliminate dead wood and suckers.

To Prune to a Standard:

Prune to one strong main stem and attach to a sturdy stake. Continue to cut off all shoots except the main stem, allowing top growth to remain. When trunk reaches desired height, pinch out top growth, then allow branches to grow from upper portion, while pinching side shoots in summer and pruning in winter as described above.

Zones:

Zones various

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