Scientific name: Wisteria sinensis & Wisteria floribunda
Family: PAPILIONACEAE
Common names: “Wisteria”
Plant Type: Deciduous vine
Conditions:
Zone: 5-8 or 5-9
Light: Full sun best, W. s. will tolerate more than half shade
Exposure: Sheltered
Soil: Average
Moisture: Moist well drained
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: 100-500′ H & W vigorous twining growth
Leaf and Stem shape: Twining stems with dark green, pinnate leaves
Flower: Drooping racemes of fragrant, mauve or lilac-coloured flowers opening before the leaves
Pruning: Lots, constant pruning to shape and restrict
Maintenance: High – very high, can be trained as a vine, shrub, tree, or groundcover, requires strong support, regular trimming
Landscape use: Wall-side borders, arbors and arches, container plant
Propagate: By layering, cuttings and grafting
Pests & Disease: Generally healthy
Comments: Large and long lived so choosing the right spot is key, planting beside buildings and weak structures is not recommended as these large vigorous plants have a reputation for uncontrollable destruction and strangling, though they can look nice growing up a tree, don’t expect the tree to survive long
Cultivars: ~AGM winners: W. s. ‘Jako’ , W. s. ‘Amethyst’ , many W. floribunda winning cultivars
