W

Wallichia densiflora  BHUTAN FISHTAIL PALM, DWARF FISHTAIL PALM  young plants   silvery underside   a dwarf, quickly-clustering species to about 5-6' tall and 6-8' wide, with robust, glossy, shiny, olive green, fish-tail style leaflets and conspicuously silvery undersides. This is a smaller, lusher version of the more familiar but still very uncommon Arenga engleri, and you can use it the same way. It likes regular watering and can be kept quite wet. Use it in the house or on the patio as a container plant as well. Part sun to full shade, rich, moist, peaty soils. Sunset zones 9, 17, 21-24/USDA zone 9a. Palmae/Arecaceae. Himalayas. rev 8/2009

‘Mia’s Wonder’    flowers and foliage    a compact grey (not silver) form, with smaller foliage and lower overall height to only about 3' tall. Pale lilac flowers. rev 1/2003

‘Wynyabbie Gem’    closeup    trimmed up    nice clipped hedge    a hybrid of  W. eremicola x fruticosa. Compact shrub to 4’ tall and wide, with typical narrow, silky grey green leaves. Light mauve purple flowers are produced throughout the year. This shrub gives a nice touch to landscapes or gardens with its lavender flowers against grey foliage. Grows quickly, but retains its wispy character. Has taken heavy soils well. Tolerates direct coastal conditions. Sun, average drainage, little or no summer watering. Probably damaged below 25°F. From UC Santa Cruz.

Wisteria   nine or ten species of hardy, winter-deciduous vines with attractive pinnate leaves and pendant clusters of usually fragrant flowers produced mostly in spring. Split distribution, eastern Asia and eastern U. S. Leguminosae/Fabaceae. rev 4/2009

floribunda    JAPANESE WISTERIA    deciduous vine with pinnate leaves, usually 15-19 leaflets per leaf. Long, airy flower clusters open sequentially from top to bottom, extending bloom but lacking the spectacular showiness of Chinese Wisterias. Gives a more vertical, delicate look, especially when hanging down through supporting arbors. Flowers are faintly fragrant. Begins blooming just after Chinese Wisteria. Needs full sun, average to little watering. Like most vines, blooms little or not at all until vegetative growth slows, even when grafted. USDA zone 5, Sunset zones 2-24. Japan.  rev 8/2003

‘Longissima Alba’    closeup    masses of flowers    habit    white flowers, to 30".
'Royal Purple'    Don Genesey's commercial landscape   the correct angle   deep purple flowers. rev 2/2010

sinensis    CHINESE WISTERIA    beginning fall color, great Westside house    100 year old plant, California and Walnut    similar to W. floribunda, but with more rounded, full clusters of strongly fragrant flowers opening more or less all at once. Leaflets usually 9-13 per leaf. Same growth requirements. China.

‘Alba’    closeup    more flowers    pure white.
'Black Dragon'    flower spike    Filoli    as far as I can tell this is just what we used to call "double purple." Flowers are fully double, like little pom pons, and purple. rev 6/2005
‘Blue’    flowers    actually light lavender blue flowers. rev 4/2006
‘Caroline’    closeup    more flowers    rich violet purple flowers, strong fragrance, a heavy bloomer. According to Peter Valder's  Wisteria - A Comprehensive Guide, since this variety has smaller flowers, twines clockwise and has 13-15 leaflets it is actually either a variety of W. longissima or a hybrid.
‘Cooke’s Purple’    flowers    a darker purple than most, a heavy bloomer, and with a tendency to continue blooming when in leaf.
‘Pink’    closeup    patio tree    pale pink flowers. According to Peter Valder, this is actually a form of W. floribunda, and a pink form of W. sinensis doesn't appear to exist in cultivation.

venusta    SILK LEAF WISTERIA    closeup    silky new growth    Filoli    a larger scale plant than the other species, with broader, silky leaves and large, coarse white flowers in rather open clusters. This one really is very nice after flowers drop due to the silky foliage. Fall color is a good, strong yellow.

Woodwardia fimbriata    GIANT CHAIN FERN    new frond    habit    commercial    native evergreen fern bears coarsely divided sword-like fronds to 6’ tall. Light to medium green color. Forms rounded rosettes of fronds, with the bases covered with golden brown fuzz. Pretty drought tolerant when established. Part shade, average watering give best growth. Good in containers. California. Polypodiaceae.