The extremely slow-to-bloom (16 years!) white wisteria is now fully out and it is so beautiful in form and colour that it deserves a follow-up post. For some reason, its delicacy makes me think of Japan, where I’ve never been. Perhaps the decorations on geisha hair combs in paintings?
The weeping habit has given my verandah view such added beauty that I am quite awed. And just look at the all the reddish new leaves on the climbing and possum-less rose!
Thanks, quoll.
The other spring surprise has been that the bird-sown Pittosporum tree in my garden has also blossomed. There are two indigenous varieties here, one more sweetly scented than the other, I believe. So I have been wondering which this one would turn out to be.
Perhaps I still don’t know, not having the two to compare, but mine definitely has a sweet perfume. It will do me. What a treat!
The bees seemed to think so too.
Juddie, my tardy white wisteria was from a cutting, so a nursery one should be quicker. But I have loved the leaves anyway, as you say.
So wonderful Sharyn! How lovely for you. I’m planning to plant some wisteria in my garden soon, and I hope it flowers sooner than in 15 years, but even if it doesn’t, I look forward to its cool leafy cover…
Hi Denis, yes both undulatum and revolutum are indigenous here; I raised seedlings from berries of both for my rainforest gully regen project but they aren’t big enough yet to have had flowers. I tell them apart by the leaves. I just didn’t know which species had the lovely scent.
Since undulatum germinated better, I am delighted I will have more of that down the gullies. Thanks Denis.
Hi Sharyn
You have been patient with your Wisteria. Lovely.
Your Pittosporum is the “Sweet Pittosporum” (P. undulatum), with creamy white sweet flowers.
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Pittosporum~undulatum
The more common (mostly coastal) one is P. revolutum. It has hairy juvenile leaves, and rusty buds. The flowers are a clear yellow. It tends to be more weedy than your plant. Currawongs and Bowerbirds love the seeds of both species.
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Pittosporum~revolutum
Cheers
Denis
Well thank you for that charming image of an early Spring morning, Laura-style! I love it. And that precious five minutes sounds like good marriage cement to me.
So beautiful, Sharyn, thank you for sharing that with us. As I have said before, I am a crazy spring person, leaping out of bed pre dawn to let out the chickens and water the patch and get the day under way. I love pottering about in the garden when the kids are still asleep and my husband brings out the tea and we have that five minutes together looking at our garden. Spring is wonderful.