Imagine a wall or fence that is plain with cascades of blue-purple flowers covering it. The wisteria tree puts on a spectacular display with its many scented blossoms. Make sure the porch, deck, patio, or window can all see your lovely wisteria tree. You’ll enjoy watching butterflies flit among your magnificent and distinctive tree’s lovely, deep purple flower clusters.
This tree is not only incredibly beautiful, but it also fulfills every requirement for a plant. The wisteria tree is resilient to disease, easy to grow, and tolerant of deer, drought, and different types of soil.
Key Features:
- wisteria with a distinctive tree shape! When fully grown, this small tree is about 10-15 feet tall and wide, making it the ideal choice for most landscapes.
- extremely abundant flowering. These flowers have gorgeous, durable blooms. Spring to early June is when they flower.
- wonderful blue-purple hue. Even while the color can vary somewhat depending on the atmosphere, from slightly more blue to slightly more purple, this particular type always has that subtle blue undertone that makes it so alluring.
- The wisteria tree is a hardy plant that requires little care, is flexible, and grows quickly. This magnificent tree is also resistant to deer, disease, and drought!
- hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to it! Relax and take in the performance!
Pro tip: Although this tree thrives in partial shade, planting it in full sunlight will result in the best blooming.
It’s difficult to discover this wisteria tree! Before they are all gone, get yours today! For zones 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, the wisteria tree is the ideal flowering tree.
The tiny trees known as wisteria are notorious for growing quickly, reaching heights of 3 to 5 feet annually. This tree will begin to bloom three to five years after it is planted.
This little tree grows well in grow zones 5-9. It tolerates a variety of soils and does well in full sun to part shade exposure. To accommodate a mature spread of 10–12 feet, space plants 15 feet apart.
Give this tree lots of room because it is invasive and could suffocate nearby native trees and bushes.
Make sure your Wisteria tree is planted in a location and under conditions that will allow it to grow successfully. Although spring and fall are the best periods to plant, you can grow your wisteria at any time of the year as long as the weather isn’t too harsh.
Although the wisteria tree may thrive in both full sun and partial shade, more sunlight will result in more blossoms. Wisteria are highly versatile and even drought tolerant once they have established themselves, despite preferring moist, well-drained, nutritious soil. For the first two to three months, water thoroughly with a hose around twice a week. A 2 inch layer of mulch will aid in weed control, root protection, and soil moisture maintenance. Apply a slow-release fertilizer in the spring.
Just new growth produces wisteria blooms. Therefore, pruning can help you receive the maximum blooms possible. For optimal results, prune at least half of the previous year’s growth in late winter. Pruning is needed to keep the canopy rounded.
For the first year or so after planting, your wisteria tree might need to be staked. These trees grow quickly, and their canopies can be heavy for young trees.
Your landscape will be brought to life by the wisteria tree! This tree will look great in your landscape and home! This unusual tree will anchor the corners of your house and give color, beauty, and flair unlike anything else! For a spectacular display, arrange three wisteria trees together in a corner of your yard. Around this magnificent wisteria tree, create a mixed bed, a nice cottage garden, or both.
How tall can a Chinese blue wisteria tree grow?
A non-native cultivar that develops as a single stem accent tree is the blue Chinese wisteria tree. The blue wisteria has a broad, rounded canopy and numerous lavender, blue, and purple blossoms. The hanging foot-long (30 cm) flower clusters start to bloom in the middle of spring and last for many weeks.
The 10- to 15-foot (34.5-m) blue Chinese wisteria tree matures quickly. The miniature tree has densely packed green leaves all summer long, which turn golden yellow in the fall. The ornamental tree also adapts well to different soil conditions.
The blue Chinese wisteria is useful in a variety of landscape settings. The magnificent tree is suitable for use as a yard tree or specimen. The blossoming dwarf tree can also be used to spruce up a container garden, decorate a patio, or be planted in a container.
How big can a blue wisteria from China grow?
The deciduous perennial vine known as Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) twines as it grows. Chinese wisteria is a lovely flower, just like the other wisteria species, but it is also poisonous and invasive.
From May through June, it produces huge, hanging clusters of fragrant blooms that are often bluish-purple in color. If you do decide to plant it, spring or fall are the ideal times. This strong climber may reach a height of 25 feet. Trellises and other supports need to be robust enough to support the weight of the plant.
Chinese wisteria grows quickly, but it can take up to 20 years for it to reach flowering maturity. It frequently has a very lengthy lifespan.
Warning
Toxic Chinese wisteria is present. Additionally, it grows quickly and is an invasive plant in the US. A less assertive option is the native North American plant known as American wisteria (Wisteriafrutescens). It would be more responsible to select an American or Kentucky wisteria if you desire a wisteria and do not currently have one.
Types of wisteria:
There are two varieties of wisteria: Asian and American. Although aggressive growers, Asian wisterias are well-known for their stunning blossoms. American wisterias are less aggressive and still produce beautiful blossoms. Compare the most popular wisteria varieties.
Flower color:
Wisteria comes in a range of colors, such as white, pink, and blue tones, in addition to the well-known purple blossoms. If you believe you have seen a yellow wisteria flower, it was probably a golden chain tree (Laburnum).
Foliage:
Wisterias are deciduous, which means that when the weather becomes chilly in the fall, they lose their leaves. The misunderstanding is occasionally brought on by a different vine known as evergreen wisteria (Millettia reticulata).
Avoid planting aggressive wisterias close to your home as they can cause damage and have even been known to destroy buildings.
Wisterias can be grown in full sun or partial shade, but to promote healthy bloom development, make sure the vines get at least six hours of direct sunlight everyday. If you reside in a colder area, pick a planting location that is protected because a heavy spring frost can harm the flower buds.
Create a planting hole that is the same depth as the plant and twice as wide, then level the plant with the soil surface. Because the vines will soon fill in, you should space your plants at least 10 to 15 feet apart along the support structure.
Wisterias don’t need much care once they are planted to promote healthy growth. Water frequently over the first year until the roots take hold.
After planting, wisterias could take some time to come out of dormancy and might not start to leaf until early summer. They will leaf out at the regular time the following spring, but don’t be surprised if they don’t bloom. Wisterias take three to five years to reach full maturity and may not start blooming until then.
Wisterias grow quickly and can reach heights of up to 10 feet in in one growing season. That works out well if you need to quickly cover a fence or pergola but don’t want the vines to take over your landscape. Regular pruning (once in the summer and once in the winter) not only controls wisteria’s growth but also encourages more robust flowering by creating a framework of horizontal branches and causing spurs to grow at regular intervals.
Cut back the current year’s growth to five or six leaves in July or August, or roughly two months after the plant flowers, to get rid of stray shoots and make short branches that will produce flowers the following year. Summer pruning needs to be done more frequently. Re-prune the plant in January or February while it is dormant by removing two or three buds from the growth from the previous year.
The first few years of wisteria’s growth are crucial for creating the desired framework for the plant’s development. As soon as your wisteria begins to grow, start connecting particular lateral shoots to its support structure. You should also cut down any extra growth. An aggressive pruning may be required on elder plants to promote the growth of new branches. Cut down aging branches to the main primary stem to accomplish this. The spaces will soon be filled with new side branches that can be connected back into the support structure.
Visit the Royal Horticultural Society to view a video on how to prune wisteria vines properly.
How does a wisteria look in the colder months?
Don’t panic if your wisteria begins to drop its leaves in the fall. Deciduous wisteria predominates. Winter doesn’t keep it green, but the leaves will come back in the spring.
Before dropping their leaves, some wisteria varieties put on a show of fall color as the leaves turn yellow or gold. If it’s happening in the fall, there’s typically nothing to worry about unless you’re also observing other symptoms like an insect infestation. Yellowing and dropping leaves can be signals of disease and other problems.
While Evergreen Wisteria (Millettia reticulata) is more challenging to grow, all true Wisteria are deciduous. Your Evergreen Wisteria will most likely maintain its leaves throughout the year if you have hot summers and brief, mild winters with little below freezing. This is zone 9b and higher in the US, which includes a portion of California and Arizona as well as the southern half of Florida and Texas.
Evergreen Wisteria is deciduous like regular Wisteria in more temperate regions, so you may anticipate it to go dormant for the winter and sprout new leaves in the spring. You probably won’t be able to cultivate Evergreen Wisteria in a location that is colder than USDA zone 8 because even deciduous habit cannot shield it from prolonged, bitterly cold winters.
What is the duration of a Chinese wisteria tree’s bloom?
Expect a flowering period for both Chinese and Japanese wisteria cultivars within 10 years of germination, or in the fourth year following planting.
After this, development will become more gradual as the main stem grows thick branches that bloom in the spring on warm days.
They withdraw into their buds during cold weather till the climate is more favorable for their bloom. The flowers themselves are gorgeous and come in clusters of 10 to 20 blossoms. They can be lavender, light pink, or white.
Can wisteria be grown using Miracle Grow?
Fertilizers for Young Wisteria Plants to Promote Growth balanced NPK ratio all-purpose fertilizer, such as: Plant food Miracle-Gro All Purpose (10-10-10)
What is the lifespan of wisteria trees?
A perennial vine known as wisteria bears gorgeously scented blossoms, frequently lavender, that develop in clusters resembling grapes.
However, the wisteria that is widespread in the Southeast is actually an invasive species from China. Chinese wisteria spreads so quickly that it eventually engulfs neighboring plants, shades them out, and even kills trees.
Due to its unchecked growth and capacity to flourish in a variety of environments, Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) has the propensity to harm regional ecosystems. While Chinese wisteria prefers rich loam and needs sunlight to produce its distinctive blossoms, it will still thrive in shadow and can survive a variety of soils.
Wisteria has the ability to climb up tall trees and will continue to spread over the tree canopy, shading out nearby smaller trees and plants. Additionally, wisteria plants can live for more than 50 years. This longevity only boosts wisteria’s capacity to spread and suffocate local plant life.
Where should a wisteria tree be planted?
In the spring, wisteria blooms ferociously, producing clusters of lilac-colored flowers on fresh growth that develops from spurs off the main stalks. Check out our Wisteria Growing Guide for more information on wisteria maintenance, including planting and pruning.
About Wisteria
Wisteria is a long-living vining shrub with cascades of blue to purple blossoms that, in the spring and early summer, look stunning hanging from a pergola or archway. However, this vine is known to grow fairly heavy and to grow quickly and aggressively, frequently reaching lengths of more than 30 feet. It’s advised not to put wisteria vines too close to your home since they will squirm their way into any crack or crevice they can find.
Beautifully fragrant wisteria flowers offer a feast for the senses. A brown, bean-like pod remains on the plant during the winter after flowering. There are only blooms on fresh growth.
Note: Be careful when planting wisteria! The wisteria plant contains lectin and wisterin, which are poisonous to people, animals, and even pets. If taken in significant quantities, these poisons can result in anything from nausea and diarrhea to death.
Is Wisteria an Invasive Plant?
The wisteria species Wisteria sinensis and Wisteria floribunda, which are not native to North America, are regarded as invasive in several areas. If you want to add a new wisteria to your garden, we advise choosing one of the native North American varieties, such as American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) or Kentucky wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya), which are excellent alternatives to the Asian species.
Do you want to know how to distinguish between North American and Asian species?
While North American wisteria is not quite as aggressive in its growing tendencies and has smooth seed pods and fruits in addition to more-or-less cylindrical, bean-shaped seeds, Asian wisteria is an aggressive grower with fuzzy seed pods. Another distinction is that the flowers of American and Kentucky wisterias appear in the late spring after the plant has begun to leaf out, whereas those of Chinese wisteria do not.
When to Plant Wisteria
- Plant during the plant’s dormant season in the spring or fall.
- Wisteria can be grown from seed, although plants from seeds frequently take many years to mature and begin to bloom. It is advised to buy wisteria plants that are already established or to begin with a cutting.
Where to Plant Wisteria
- Put a plant in full sun. Even while wisteria will grow in some shade, it won’t likely bloom. Sunlight is necessary.
- Wisteria should be grown in fertile, wet, but well-draining soil.
- Wisteria will grow in most soils unless it is in bad condition, in which case you need add compost. Find out more about soil improvements and getting the soil ready for planting.
- Because wisteria grows swiftly and can easily engulf its neighbors, pick a location apart from other plants.
- Additionally, wisteria is renowned for encroaching on and infiltrating surrounding buildings like homes, garages, sheds, and so on. We highly advise against growing wisteria too near your house!
- Wisteria vines need a very strong support, like a metal or wooden trellis or pergola, to climb on. Plan carefully and use substantial materials to construct your structure because mature plants have been known to become so heavy that they destroy their supports.
Wisteria looks gorgeous growing up the side of a house, but use caution when planting it because it is a very strong vine that will get into any crack or gap!
Caring for Wisteria
- Apply a 2-inch layer of mulch and a layer of compost under the plant each spring to keep moisture in and keep weeds at bay.
- Phosphorus is often used by gardeners to promote flowering. In the spring, work a few cups of bone meal into the soil. Then, in the fall, add some rock phosphate. Study up on soil amendments.
- If you get less than an inch of rain each week, water your plants. (To determine how much rain you are receiving, set an empty food can outside and use a measuring stick to gauge the depth of the water.)
- During the summer, try pruning the out-of-control shoots every two weeks for more blooms.
Pruning Wisteria
- In the late winter, prune wisteria. Remove at least half of the growth from the previous year, leaving only a few buds on each stem.
- Also prune in the summer after customary flowering if you prefer a more formal appearance. On fresh growth, spurs from the main shoots of the wisteria develop its blossoms. Trim back every new shoot from this year to a spur, leaving no more than 6 inches of growth. So that there are no free, trailing shoots, the entire plant can be trained, roped in, and otherwise organized throughout this procedure.
- Mature plants that have been cultivated informally require little to no more pruning. However, for a plant that has been formally trained, side branches should be pruned back in the summer to 6 inches, then again in the winter to 3 buds.
- Possess you a fresh wisteria? After planting, aggressively prune the vine. Then, the next year, trim the main stem or stems to a height of 3 feet from the growth of the previous year. After the framework has grown to its full size, midsummer extension growth should be cut back to where it started that season.