This is one of the four resident wisteria we occasionally force into bloom to decorate the gallery at the Perkiomen Valley Art Center Membership Exhibition opening. This one is probably the least interesting in terms of trunk "motion" and general styling, but it is second in reliability to only ID #021. With ongoing work, it is beginning to improve in shape.

This plant was forced nicely in 2009, then in 2011, after ID #039 showed no evidence of flower buds, this lucky plant was wrenched out of a thick layer of ice and bark and brought into the warmest part of the house to "fast track" it, a move that proved quite successful as shown in Nudging Spring 2011.

Again in 2013, this was brought in to force blooms for a March 10 reception. By judicious trimming of the root mass and careful distribution of the bonsai mix, we have attempted to further correct what had been an excessive lean on this tree.

Poof! It's 2015 and we need blooms for the reception on April 19th. Alas, the pots in the mulched bed, after two weeks of wintry mix and single digit temperatures, appear to be frozen into concrete! On a lucky March day where the temperature made it to 50ºF, we went out periodically and dribbled hot tap water, mostly around the pot perimeter. After several such applications an hour or so apart, Ye Olde Photographer/Bonsaist was able to extricate the pot from the mulch and bring it in — to grow and bloom — but not without some anxiety.