The plants in this week’s vase came with the house. Both are lovely. One is welcome; the other, invasive.
1. Wisteria
Unfortunately, most of the wisteria growing wild around the Southeastern U.S. is the incredibly invasive Japanese or Chinese variety. There is an American variety that is native to the Southeastern wetlands, which is considered non-invasive though still very robust, but that’s not what you see here. I have cut back some of the wisteria on our property, but it’s going to be a long road to get rid of it for good. As I put this arrangement together, the blooms filled the house with a lovely scent, as if to say, “See, I’m not so bad.”
2. White Irises
In past years, one purple bearded iris (with no white irises) has bloomed in the very same spot in my yard, but this year I have a nice crop of all-white irises. From what I’ve read, this is most likely the result of different types of irises choking each other out. Learning how to care for irises is not high on my very long garden to-do list, but perhaps I will one day. In the meantime, I enjoy what I get.
3. Vintage Vase (unmarked)
The vintage yellow vase is a family piece inherited from my aunt. (Yes, everything in this arrangement is a hand-me-down in some form or fashion!) I did not remember the raised iris design on the vase when I decided to use it, so that is a lucky coincidence.
4. Foliage
The leaves come from tulips whose blooms have faded.
Thanks to Cathy and her blog, Rambling in the Garden, for starting the IAVOM meme. It’s helped me connect to other garden bloggers and makes blogging much more enjoyable. Be sure to visit her blog and read the comments below her post to get a peek at what gardeners around the world have put in a vase on Monday.
T's Southern Garden Blog 
My neighbor has a wisteria that blooms in the spring sometime, I always enjoy seeing it but fortunately there’s none in my own garden. Very pretty arrangement, and a lovely vase!
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Thank you, Alison!
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Lovely blooms in your vase….I can’t wait to see my favorite irises! And since I don’t grow wisteria, I enjoyed seeing it in your vase….love how it bends and almost floats.
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Thank you, Donna! The wisteria blooms were quite delicate to work with, but I finally coaxed them into a position I was happy with.
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Crikey, I would never have thought that wisteria could be considered invasive; it certainly isn’t in the UK where both the Japanese and Chinese species are grown. Neither have I thought of using wisteria in a vase – so that’s something to store up for the future… Yours looks beautiful with the white iris, so thanks for sharing
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Well, I learned something new! I’m glad it is not invasive in the UK because it is beautiful. It must be the climate that allows it to be invasive here but not where you are. There are some other examples I can think of where this is the case. Mimosa trees are fine in the Northwest U.S. but spread like wildfire in the Southeast. The exact opposite is true for the butterfly bush. I can grow it here because the heat keeps it under control, whereas it’s considered invasive in the Northwest where it’s cooler.
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And if you mean buddleja as the butterfly bush that seeds around UK gardens!
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Your vase is just lovely. The wisteria is such a beautiful thing, but I’ve seen how it takes over everywhere.
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It’s a lovely composition and it was clever of you to use the foliage of the spent tulips to add height. I love Wisteria blooms but not the invasive character of the plant. Since we moved into our current house a little over 7 years ago, I’ve been trying (and thus far failing) to remove Wisteria planted by the prior owner. It continues to reappear even under our renewed drought conditions. (I think the roots must go under the house.) Ugh! The guy also planted mint in the raised planters in the vegetable/cutting garden…
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still waiting hopefully for my iris to bloom. Dietes does!
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Wisteria and Iris – how beautiful! And all of this end of March? Makes me think I haven’t moved far enough to the south! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Yes, all of this in March in Alabama, but our summers can be tough to handle! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
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don’t you have those magnificent live oaks in Alabama? I’d love to see them one day 🙂
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Yes we do! There are some particularly lovely specimens on the University of Alabama campus, where I used to work.
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I’d love to see some pics, maybe one day you’d like to do a post?
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That is a great idea! I will have to plan a drive out there and take some photos!
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I love passalongs of all kinds. Good luck with the wisteria. A contractor who used to work for me called it hysteria.
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That is too funny!
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Well, I have to say I agree and you are lucky it flowers!
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