Wisteria… love it or hate it… don’t plant it anywhere close to buildings… 

I love it and have it all over my fences, but it does want to climb trees.  It will spiral upward and bush out –gorgeous, but eventually it can shade out a tree…

It blooms in early spring and the flowers are so deliciously fragrant–if the breeze is right, it can be almost overpowering. It comes in white and lavender. 

This is the first year I’ve noticed pods on my vines! The pods appeared at the end of May, two months after the flowers.  I had no idea it put out pods, I thought it just sent out runners. (It does this too.)

Turns out, the pods have seeds, much like pea pods– toxic to humans and animals if eaten. Surprisingly, considering how quickly a vine can run up a tree, it takes 15 years for a seed to grow into a plant old enough to flower. Guess I’ve got mature vines! 

The pods are velvety to touch and are about as long as my hand.