Japanese Wisteria

Wisteria floribunda
Japanese name : Fuji ‘Yae-Koku-Ryu’
yae = double-petaled
koku = black
ryu = dragon

Wisteria is native to the moist woodlands and streambanks of China, Korea, Japan, and the Central and Southern United States. All parts of Wisteria are toxic and can cause stomach discomfort upon consumption.

The Japanese Wisteria has a fabled past in American horticulture.  It was first introduced in 1860 by George Rogers Hall and quickly became a mainstay in U.S. gardens everywhere!  The flower racemes are amazing even in the wisteria world as they can reach nearly 18″ in length and have a pleasant fragrance, reminiscent of grapes, of which they resemble very closely.  The blooms may take a few years for them to start showing up, as a Wisteria must pass its juvenile stage for it to become the prodigious bloomer it is famous for being!  Grow this beauty up and over a patio cover (beware of the vines twining around the timbers- as after a year those tiny vines will become thick and can crush wood beams very easily).  As with the Chinese Wisteria, this can be trained into a gorgeous specimen tree as well.

Peony

One legend has it that the peony is named after Paeon, a physician to the gods, who received the flower on Mount Olympus from the mother of Apollo. And another tells the story of that same physician who was saved  from the fate of dying as other mortals by being turned into the flower we know today as the peony.

The traditional floral symbol of China, the state flower of Indiana, and the 12th wedding anniversary flower, peonies are known as the flower of riches and honor.

With their lush, full, rounded bloom, peonies embody romance and prosperity and are regarded as an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage.

Aquilegia

The large flowers that appear in the all colors are individually or in small clusters on relatively high, thin stalks and are usually nodding and swaying slightly in the summer breeze. The petals are 5-resistant for long spurs with honey caches, so they are very popular with bumblebees and bees and other summer buzz.