Polk County News
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 25, 2017
Wisteria gets clipped twice a year
Wisteria delivers a beau-
tiful spring display, but this
vigorous vine needs plenty
of pruning to keep it from
swallowing the garden.
“Wisteria are very vigor-
ous vines and can climb
easily to 30 to 40 feet,” said
Neil Bell, a horticulturist
with Oregon State Universi-
ty Extension Service. “They
can be quite heavy and
should be grown on a
strong structure.”
When people see the jaw-
dropping blooms erupt in
mid-spring, they covet wis-
teria for their own garden.
But, they should first know
that in addition to the prop-
er support, the vine needs
vigorous pruning.
“Before planting one,
people should realize the
effort involved in keeping
them in bounds,” Bell
noted. “You can tackle most
flowering shrubs once a
year, but wisteria is so in-
sanely vigorous there’s an
advantage to summer prun-
ing as well as in winter. The
most common mistake is
not pruning at all.”
Most frequently grown
are the Chinese species
(Wisteria sinensis), which
blooms on bare branches
before foliage emerges with
flowers that open all at
once. They’re smaller than
the blooms of Japanese wis-
teria (W. floribunda), which
open gradually from the top
down and after leaves come
out. Fragrant flowers range
in color from blue to laven-
der, and more rarely white.
Both species put out loads
K YM
P OKORNY
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
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2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
Your
Garden
of runners that can be
pruned more than twice a
year if the plant is threaten-
ing to take over a structure
— especially your house.
Because the foliage is
gone and the runners are
easier to see, winter is the
easiest time to prune, Bell
said. Take a look at the vine
and cut excess growth to
the trunk and then prune
the rest of the runners to
two or three buds or about
6 inches long. Cut just
above the chosen bud.
Again in summer, you’ll
w a n t t o p r u n e e xc e s s
growth and clip the remain-
der to two to three buds.
Another option is to train
your wisteria into a tree,
which allows it to be grown
away from structures where
it can cause major damage
if left unpruned. It also
makes it easier to get
around the plant when it’s
time for clipping, Bell said.
To create a tree, use a ro-
bust metal post to hold the
vine. Start by training a sin-
gle shoot up the support,
which could take one grow-
ing season, he said. The fol-
lowing year, cut the main
stem above the top of your
support where you want
“branches” to grow and the
basic form of the tree is
complete. Each year after
https://flic.kr/p/Cso1Lj
A white wisteria trained into a tree.
this, the wisteria will re-
quire hard pruning to re-
main manageable. The
shoots can be cut back sig-
nificantly and still bear
flowers.
Sometimes people com-
plain that their wisteria is
not blooming. Be aware,
Bell said, that flowers often
don’t appear for two or
three years (sometimes
longer) after planting un-
less you bought one while it
was blooming. If you’ve
waited what seems like too
long, however, there are
some things you can do to
nudge it along. Stressing
the plant by not fertilizing
and root pruning will often
force it into bloom. To root
prune, use a shovel to cut
the roots in a circle about 1
to two feet from the plant’s
trunk.
Bell’s other tips for grow-
ing wisteria include planting
in full sun in well-drained
soil that’s kept consistently
moist but not wet. Fertilize
with a low-nitrogen (first
number in the three-num-
ber sequence on the label)
product. Less fertilizer is
better than over fertilizing.
Only feed once a year, every
other year or not at all.
A fun fact: The world’s
largest known wisteria is in
Sierra Madre, California,
measuring more than 1 acre
and weighing 250 tons. The
Chinese species was plant-
ed in 1894.
Keep in mind that the
seeds and fuzzy seed pods
of wisteria are toxic.
MI TOWN
Mother Nature seemed to
go out of her way last
Thursday to bring more
than her share of rain and
wind and wet leaves every-
where, but even that didn’t
dampen the spirits — or the
appetites —of everyone
who came to the Mon-
mouth Senior Center’s soup
and pie sale. The best cooks
in MI Town and Polk Coun-
ty prepared and served
everyone who was fortu-
nate enough to enjoy the af-
ternoon. Gene and Joy
Lund brought an extra bit of
autumn sunshine to the
brightly decorated tables. A
hearty round of applause to
Center Director Sue Teal
and all the volunteers who
make the day special and a
lot of fun for all.
—
Don and I were privi-
leged to spend the past
weekend in Walnut Creek,
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Calif., to celebrate the wed-
ding of grandson, Anthony
and his best girl, Kayla.
They met almost 10 years
ago as fellow high school
students, then went on to
follow their education and
career goals. We had such a
great time meeting their
friends and sharing good
memories with family
members from near and far.
It’s such fun to catch that
youthful enthusiasm and
energy, which will get us
through the darkest and
gloomiest days of winter.
—
We don’t want to say
farewell to Monmouth Sen-
ior Center Director Sue Teal,
but can agree that she has
earned her well-deserved
retirement and opportunity
to do all the things she’s al-
ways wanted to do — but
d i d n’t h a v e t h e t i m e.
Wednesday (today) at 3:30
p.m., we will have a chance
to meet and greet the candi-
dates for her position at the
Monmouth Senior Center.
—
It seems that every time
we turn around, there’s
more than enough chatter
and conversation about
‘fake news,’ and most of us
are completely turned off
by that expression. The Ore-
gon Humanities is present-
ing “Beyond Fake News,” in
the meeting room at the
Monmouth Public Library
on Nov. 2 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Oregon State University
outreach librarian, Kelly
McElroy, will speak on a
topic that should be of in-
terest to everyone. Many
thanks to the Friends of the
Monmouth Public Library
for providing funding for
this evening’s presentation.
—
The calendar tells us that
Halloween is just around
the corner and we’re hoping
for an afternoon and
evening of clear skies so the
witches and goblins and su-
perheroes won’t have to be
covered up with raincoats
and jackets. It’s always a fun
time of year for celebrants
of all ages, and a reminder
to everyone to be watchful
driving and walking around
our communities.
—
From goblins and
ghoulies and long-legged
beasties and things that go
bump in the night, Good
Lord, deliver us.
PEDEE NEWS
Congratulations to Jenny
Mellein, who graduated on
Oct. 13 from the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Ac-
celerated Nursing program.
It is a 12-month program to
attain a bachelors of science
in nursing. It was a tough 12
months, but she said her
“family’s support was amaz-
ing.” She flew to Wisconsin
for the one-hour ceremony
to get her diploma in per-
son, which was very affirm-
ing.
—
Bill and Linda Chertudi
traveled by Amtrak’s Empire
Builder to Whitefish, Mon-
tana, to visit their son and
daughter-in-law James and
Lily Cher tudi and 16-
month-old granddaughter
Charlotte, a tiny little sweety
who, I bet, was the main rea-
son they went. They had a
good time visiting and see-
ing the area. James and Lily
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
are teachers there in White-
fish, a beautiful town near
Glacier National Park.
—
Juandeane Skidmore and
her daughter, Teresa Furu-
tani, spent four days in
Texas visiting with daughter
Joyce in Austin. While in
Texas, they got a chance to
go to San Antonio’s gor-
geous, exotic River Walk
near the Alamo. Juandeane’s
other daughter, Beth Turtle,
has a new job with L’Oreal
cosmetics.
—
A lot is happening at
Pedee Church these days.
Several people meet from
time to time on Saturdays
to cut firewood for people
who may need it. Then on
this next Saturday, they will
meet at Daniel and
Heidi Russell’s to work on
rebuilding their pump
house, as their project for
Pastor Appreciation
Month.
Friday at 11:30 a.m., the
community is invited to join
the women at Pam Bur-
bank’s home at 14330 Kings
Valley Highway for some
quilting instructions (by me)
and then spend some time
to work on projects. Bring
your sewing machine, proj-
ect, and something to share
for lunch.
—
The church is also partici-
pating in filling shoe boxes
for the Christmas in New
Mexico Project. Call me at
503-838-3512 for informa-
tion about what to include
in a shoe box, then wrap the
box and lid separately for
Christmas, then return the
box by this next week and I’ll
send them off to the mis-
sion. We do have boxes
available at the church.
—
Pedee’s 4-H club, the Try-
oneers, are meeting every
second and fourth Tuesday,
at 6:30 p.m., at the church
and this week did some
pumpkin painting and
made miniature pumpkin
pies. Also, Pedee Church has
started a youth group for the
8-year-olds and up, meeting
on the remaining Tuesdays,
which all the kids in the area
that age are invited to come
to. Heather Traglia will be
leading the group, but sure
would like a couple of
helpers. If you can do that,
come at 6:30 p.m. on Tues-
days.
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