Flower of the Week: Wisteria
In April when bulbous flowers fade, there isn’t a more astounding scene than a wall full of wisteria! Their strong stem climbs on the wall, and event though they do not have that many green leaves, they bloom astonishing blossoms at the end of their stems. The pleasant smell flows down with the beautiful flowers in the air, forming a huge purple waterfall.
If you observe it carefully, you will find that each long inflorescence consists of small butterfly-shaped flowers. They look a lot like pea-blossom. This is because both wisteria and pea-blossoms belong to Leguminosae. Wisteria is from Eastern Asia, and Japan and China are their main origins. These types of perennial large deciduous vine plants often bloom in April. When the bloom season is about to complete they grow feather-shaped compound leaves.
Small butterfly-shaped flowers of Wisteria
Wisteria grows very fast and can climb to 10 meters tall and expand for 20 meters. To sustain their weight, it is necessary to plant them under firm buttresses or walls. Wisteria needs 3 years to develop from being planted to blooming. As soon as they start to bloom, they will contribute beautiful flowers every year. It is a never-to-be-forgotten sight in late Spring.
Seed pods of wisteria
There are many great places to see wisteria in the US. For example, Central Park, New York or Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. Of course, there is also the well known Sierra Madre Wisteria Festival: Here you can see the World’s Largest Wisteria Vine verified by the Guinness Book of World Records!
Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
If you happen to be traveling in Japan in the spring, both the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi and Kawachi Wisteria Garden have world-famous views of wisteria.
A great wisteria blossoms at Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan.
There are three types of wisterias in gardening, including Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda) and silky wisteria (W. venusta). Wild-type wisterias’ flowers are purple to blueish purple. But among the massive cultivars, there are also white or pale pink varieties, even with streaked petals or double flowers.
White Wisteria
Regardless of which wisteria you pick, when you are purchasing seedlings, please make sure you select grafted seedlings. Not only do they have a stronger stress resistance, the timeframe for the number of years between planting and bearing flowers is also shorter. Usually, it is within 3 years. On the other hand, planting with seeds to developing into seedlings would usually take 5 years for the plant to grow flowers.
Wisterias have fragrant and beautiful flowers that can attract butterflies while they are deer resistant. What’s more, luckily, wisterias are not hard to grow. Their adaptability to the soil quality is strong and can grow in a certain range of soil, from slightly acidic and slightly alkaline. Ample sunlight can let wisterias bear more flowers. Wisterias are not tolerant of transplanting, and therefore it is critical to select the best place to grow from the beginning.
Wisterias have longevity and grow quickly. Even if they are not pruned, they can bind and climb, and cover the areas they have grown to. However, if you want to enjoy a large number of flowers in limited spaces, you would need regular pruning to control its size and shape, and to promote abundant blossoms. To ensure the best effect it is recommended to prune wisteria at least twice a year (once in the summer and once in the winter).
Last but not least, the whole wisteria plant contains poisonous alkaloids. Avoid accidental ingestion of wisteria by both humans or pets.
Size: 3-10m (10-33 ft) in height, 1.2-20m (4-66 ft) in spread
Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-9
Sunlight: full sun, partial shade
Soil: well-drained and moist soil, moderately fertile
Bloom time: spring to early summer