Chinese Wisteria
Wisteria sinensis
Zone 5 - 8
Height: 10 - 25 feet, Spread: 4 - 8 feet
Bloom Time: May to June; Flower: Showy, Fragrant, Blue Violet
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Tolerate: Deer, drought
Maintenance: High
Plant: deciduous, woody twining vine that climbs up tree trunks in a clockwise direction; stems are stout, smooth gray-brown and covered with fine white hairs.
It can be slow to establish. Although vines may produce flowers by the second or third year after planting.
It is a deciduous vine that grows vigorously to 25’ or more and features 6-12” long racemes of mildly-fragrant, pea-like, blue-violet flowers in May when the foliage is just beginning to expand.
Flowers bloom somewhat simultaneously on the racemes thus producing a dramatic floral display. Chinese Wisteria twines counterclockwise. Over time, the stems of this vine become twisted, trunk-like and massive.
CARE: Needs pruning 2x year to control size and shape of the plant and to encourage flowering. Prune back new stems in August after bloom and in January to shape.
An application of superphosphate in early spring can also help stimulate flowering.