The Magical Wistaria Vine of Sierra Madre

On Saturday and Sunday, March, 17 & 18, 2018, the Annual Wistaria Festival will take place in Sierra Madre.

The Wistaria Festival, 1940’s (Photo – Pictorial Bicentennial Edition of Sierra Madre, 1976).

The Sierra Madre Wistaria is one of the 7 horticultural wonders of the world according to Guinness Book of World Records, sharing honors with the California Sequoia National Park Redwood Forests, the Gardens of Buckingham Palace, Japan’s Yokohama Rock Gardens, Brazil’s Amazon Tropical Jungle, India’s Taj Mahal Gardens, and Mexico’s Xochimilco Floating Gardens. The Sierra Madre Wistaria vine weighs 250 tons and spreads across an acre between two houses.

By Jean Sudbury

The Wistaria is a magical vine in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes ten species of climbing woody plants native to Korea, Japan and China. The Wistaria vine, an introduced species in America, climbs clockwise or counter clockwise up any available support. It can climb up to around 66 feet in height and spread to 33 feet laterally. It blooms in springtime and spreads lovely fragrant purple flowers adored by people, birds and especially bees.

This flowery vine was named “wistaria” after Caspar Wistar, (91761-1818), a Botanist. What was it called before? The question remains unanswered. A prominent etymologist called the change in spelling “apparently a misprint” in 1819.* Usually, when California papers** report on the Wistaria Festival, they spell the plant name “wisteria.” For the sake of this article, we sell it with its original name, Wistaria.

The Famous Wistaria Vine of Sierra Madre

In April of 1894, 13 years before Sierra Madre became an incorporated city, the new owners of the house on the corner at Carter Avenue drove their horse and buggy to the local nursery to purchase a ”Chinese Lavender” Wistaria to improve the looks of the house. The plant originated from seeds transported out of China by Marco Polo during his world travels of the 13th century.  The Chinese Wistaria had been started in a gallon container and purchase price was 75 cents. The vine was then planted near the front porch of the new house and it grew and grew and grew. Little attention was given to the plant until 1913, when new owners acquired the property. They wanted the vine to encompass the house, and it did just that.

In 1916, the grounds were open for the public to view the amazing vine and its springtime flowers. By the 1920s, the original house had been destroyed by this monstrous plant.  The structure rotted away, and eventually was torn down. Another house was built, and the vine stayed in place and continued to grow. Some locals throughout the years have given the Wistaria vine pet names like “Jack’s Beanstock”, “Lavender Lady”, and “The Monster”.

Wistaria Festival

After two years of hosting the vine viewing events, the owners of the property realized it was too much for them to handle. In 1918, the Sierra Madre Chapter of the American Red Cross sponsored the Annual Wistaria Festival. Refreshments were served and booths were created with locally made arts and crafts for sale. Small potted seedlings of wistarias were also sold. After the Red Cross’s financial success, other local organizations took their turns to host the annual event. The Sierra Madre Woman’s Club, the Volunteer Firemen, the Masonic Lodge, the Eastern Star and the Board of Trade, all hosted the event during different years. Meanwhile, sometime between 1910 and 1917, a second house, on the north end of the lot, was built to be a tea house and a neighborhood social gathering center. The tea house became a regular artist gathering area in the 1920s and the 1930s. The Red Car was in full service at the time, and it is said that there were around 30,000 visitors per year to see the vine and get together in the tea house, which was architecturally designed to include an indoor-outdoor culture.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the wistaria vine and tea house drew artists from around the world who regularly gathered to celebrate the Bohemian artist life of the times. One unsolved mystery is about a woman who owned the place sometime during those years. She held regular artist salons. One morning, she was found dead on her grounds. It seemed to be that she jumped off the roof of the house. The actual cause of death was never solved. Some specualte it was the heady aroma of the wistaria that intoxicated her.

When the Sierra Madre Woman’s Club hosted the Wistaria Festival in 1931, a small admission fee was collected for the first time. The turnstile showed that 35,000 people were admitted to the fete which lasted three weeks. The Woman’s Club used the profits to contribute to the war effort, pay off the mortgage for their Clubhouse, redecorate, and add a substantial balance to their treasury budget.

During the 1950s, the tea house had been remodeled into a family home. A local family bought it in the early 1960s. The matriarch of the family was involved with many community strengthening groups. She wanted to share the wondrous wistaria vine with neighbors and travelers who appreciated the beauty and magic of the vine. As a response to her wishes, the fee for seeing the vine during the Wistaria Fest went away. The Annual Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival remains free to the public. As parking is limited, there is a fee for shuttle service to the vine for those who would rather not walk up to see the vine.

The Red Car (Photo – Pictorial Bicentennial Edition of Sierra Madre by the Sierra Madre Historical Society, 1976).

The 2018 Wistaria Festival

The vine continues to live between the two houses and spreads along a trellis between the homes. Both houses which exist on the original lot were built to accommodate the vine. Each family who has owned a piece of the property over the years has had deep respect and admiration for the Wistaria Vine. The aroma and delicate scent draws one in, and the gentle hum of the bees gathering nectar brings an observer to a state of bliss, if only for a short time in spring.

This year, a mild winter encouraged early blooms, the vine is in its full splendor for the annual festival. The wistaria blossoming always comes through in shining colors. It will be a wonderful weekend to celebrate the sublime beauty of nature. The lovely purple color and its fragrance will present itself, along with many local folks who grew up with the history of the vine. Stories are shared, and smiles are exchanged every year during this annual Sierra Madre event. Many businesses in Downtown Sierra Madre open their door and their hearts to visitors who share the celebration of the beauty of nature.

The City of of Sierra Madre will hold celebrations this coming weekend for all to enjoy, and the magic of Jack’s Beanstalk will retain its power one more time.

– Sat, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day)

12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.:

• Sierra Madre Auto Show
• Green Living Expo
• Beer Garden and Gem City Jazcats
• Visit Over 100 Crafters & Exhibits
• Special Playland for children
• Live music plus live radio broadcast

> No Vine Viewing on Saturday.

– Sun, March 18 (Vine Viewing Day)

9:00 am – 5:00 pm:

• See the World’s Largest Blooming Vine.
• Spend the rest of your day enjoying the beautiful foothill city of Sierra Madre.
• Children’s Play Area: Bouncy House Kids Train.
• Assorted Musicians – Band Shell and Kersting Court.

Date/Time
03/17/2018 - 03/18/2018
Location
Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival

*Robert K. Barnhart, Dictionary of Etymology 885 (1995).

**English dictionaries favor “wistaria,” but American dictionaries list it as an alternative spelling.