Monday, April 20, 2015

Glicini, or Wisteria, in the Evening Light


I know nothing of wisteria, or glicini (in the Italian), other than what I've seen since moving to Venice, where they strike me as the most Keatsian of flowers: their decline following almost instantaneously upon their maturity. In this way, I suppose, there's something rather melancholy about them, as in the lines from "Ode on Melancholy:"
She dwells with Beauty--Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee mouth sips...
Something rather decadent about them, too, and therefore perfect for a city identified with decadence for over 200 years, and long, it seems, in the last stages of over-ripeness. But Venice has maintained its long decline since the 1700s, while wisteria like those above (photographed on Friday) are pretty much blown in a weekend.

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures. Reminds me of a scenic trip I took in Naples a while ago.. Took a food tour with Foodtoursofnaples.com.. So memorable and pretty. They took us to all the most authentic parts and there were plenty of Wisteria all over the place.

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    1. You remind me, Anonymous, how much I'd like to visit Naples finally. It sounds like it might be especially magical when the wisteria are out, but I better try to get there whenever I can.

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  2. The way I see wisterias is that they bloom early when the bees are hungry and not much is in bloom, they are alo beautiful and they lend themselves to the most amazing aesthetic pruning. They improve with age, the older they are the most amazing forms they can assume. They remind us of the seasons, in early spring you can see the buds swelling, then they have the most amazing show of flowers, and the smell can be intoxicating, they in the summer they put out such growth that they need to be pruned to keep them in place. In the fall they lose their leaves, if pruned well they add winter interest to a wall or a house, and like you said they will not disappoint us, they will bloom once again, with ever more flowers.

    I have been pruning few wisterias and they give me a great satisfaction.

    Sorry to hear about your apartment issues, I hope you find a solution soon.

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    1. Since you've mentioned it, Laura, I've been noticing how beautiful the thick twisted vines (almost trunks?) of the wisteria are. I suppose I've been so intent on seeing the flowers I've missed what they're like during the other seasons. How nice that you have some close at hand to tend to!

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  3. Beautiful picture - I love seeing those gorgeous colors. Does seem decadent, doesn't it? Like a loud flashy tourist - look at me - I am Venice for the weekend! And then, poof - gone! :)

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    1. You make them sound a bit like George Clooney and his wedding party, Bridget! Which I'm happy to say has given me a whole new perspective on both wisterias and Mr Clooney!

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