Wisteria
Just as I was leaving Athens, I could see lilac flowers starting to develop; compact, green-brown spikes. Syringa is hard plant to leave behind, especially as it begins what promises to be a spectacular spring. With our stunningly mild winter, plus a moist and early spring, all of nature is "biting at the bit" (well, most of nature, anyways - violets are surprisingly patient in regards to their bloom time). Still, I was comforted upon my arrival in Carrboro by a vine that is downright rare in Ohio, but abounds here in North Carolina, Wisteria. One cluster of flowers. All these flowers fit into four mason jars along with 12 cups of honey! Ah, how should I describe Wisteria? Its purple hue is reminiscent of lilacs, its smell of Black Locust. The pea-like flowers hang in long, drooping clusters from 4 to 18 inches in length. The woody vine itself is voracious, growing fast, twisting itself around and up trees, forming mat-like canopies, but not like kudzu, where en