When To Plant Wisteria In Texas

Texas (American) wisteria can be planted in the late winter (Wisteria frutescens). It’ll be OK in the early spring as well.

American wisteria is a woody, deciduous vine that grows 25–30 feet in height. Shiny, dark-green, pinnately complex leaves have 9–15 opposing leaflets, with 1 leaflet at the leaf stem’s tip. In contrast to the well-known Asian species, the blooms are larger, drooping clusters that are 69 inches long and occur after the plant has begun to leaf out.

Due to its frequent use as an ornamental plant, American wisteria has undoubtedly escaped from cultivation in many places. The Dam B cultivar blooms intermittently throughout the summer and fall in Texas, late May to early June, with racemes of blue flowers. White flowers can be found on the cultivar Nivea.

Only new wood has blossoms, not old wood. Individual flowers are violet or bluish purple, almost an inch long, and very fragrant. Up until winter, a brown, bean-like pod is present. In comparison to an Asian species, this species is less aggressive. It prefers a healthy loamy soil in a sunny south or southwest position, protected from chilly breezes and the early morning sun on frosty mornings. Alkaline soils can cause chlorosis in plants. like a rich soil, although other gardeners believe that a soil that is excessively rich leads to excessive leaf growth. accepts yearly flooding.

Which month is ideal for wisteria planting?

The best seasons to plant wisteria are spring or fall, and you should put it in full sunlight to ensure that you get to view its lovely blossoms. A wet, well-draining soil is ideal for wisteria.

Wisteria flourishes in Texas?

Wisteria is a sought-after focal point in public gardens because of its clinging, tangled, intertwined coarse vines that in the spring burst with regal clusters of abundantly fragrant purplish blooms. With a meandering but manageable growth habit that displays one of the rarest colors found in the garden—blue to purple hues—wisteria provides structure to the landscape.

Wisteria is remarkable due of its unusual look and uncommon smell. Wisteria vines are usually noticeable. Their flowing growing habit draws people in and induces a feeling of tranquility. A garden gains an intriguing mysterious when a Wisteria vine is present. In actuality, Wisteria Lane is the setting for the hit television program Desperate Housewives.

Wisteria is frequently utilized to highlight noteworthy locations because it is a plant that attracts attention. When trained appropriately, wisteria can be used as a tree, a screening, or to provide shade. Wisteria is the ideal landscape vine for the Southlake neighborhood because of the exquisite and painstakingly crafted facades of the residences there. Wisteria is a sturdy plant for North Texas and grows swiftly. It is also heat-tolerant. Wisteria comes in a variety of attractive kinds, but two of them thrive in the gardens of Southlake:

Japanese Wisteria called “Texas Purple” from gardeners in Monrovia. The early blooming deciduous vine looks great on a fence, trellis, or arbor to display the pendulous flower clusters.

The wisteria variety “Lavender Falls” puts on a springtime display of 20-inch long clusters of lavender-blue flowers. Repeating blooms are seen throughout the entire season.

Both of these wisteria kinds are support-dependent and will adorn a pergola, arbor, or trellis in a lovely manner. During the first growing season, these Wisteria plants should receive consistent irrigation to develop deep root systems. The plants grow and bloom at their finest when nourished, and to manage size, they should be clipped once a year in the winter.

Where should a wisteria plant 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.

Does Central Texas have good wisteria conditions?

The sweet-smelling, purple blooms of the wisteria vine, which bloom in the early spring, are what make it a popular plant in Central Texas. Some homeowners are unaware that wisteria is regarded as an invasive species of plant. Many plants can be killed by wisteria, but with the right care, you can enjoy the purple flowers without endangering the rest of your yard and garden.

Wisteria is hazardous because it spreads over other trees and bushes swiftly and quickly expands, eventually suffocating the light. There are no restrictions on how quickly it can grow or how high it can rise. Long vines can extend from the parent plant’s top many feet into the air, twist around a neighboring limb of another plant, and eventually smother the other plant.

Choosing a good place is the most crucial aspect of Wisteria care. The ideal location to grow a wisteria is in the centre of a yard with grass on all sides so that you may mow around it.

Wisteria can take on the appearance of a tiny tree or shrub when planted alone in the centre of a lawn.

Plan to prune long tendrils and get rid of suckers from the vine’s base as part of periodic maintenance. To manage size for the upcoming growing season, the vine should receive severe pruning in the fall.

Planting wisteria vines four feet apart will allow them to grow together into a larger plant that resembles a hedge.

Arbors in open spaces and fences that are away from other plants can be covered with wisteria plants.

Use the following procedures to make sure the structure is covered in an appealing, long-lasting way. To begin, twine up the arch’s or fence’s center using the main center vine. To cover the sides of the structure, choose side branches that twist away from the main vine. For even coverage, remove all excess shoots that are not required. As soon as suckers form, remove them from the base.

To manage the growth of the plant for the spring growing season, don’t forget to heavily prune in the fall. Throughout the entire growth season, wisteria needs to be carefully watched to trim extra branches and properly tie vines.

Despite being a beautiful plant, wisteria is typically not a good choice for a low-maintenance landscape. With the right care, wisteria may be used to add a lovely, aromatic element to your garden in the early spring.

When can I put wisteria in my backyard?

Wisterias thrive in full light, fertile soil, and both. Of the 10 species, three are grown the most frequently: Wisteria brachybotrys, Wisteria sinensis, and Wisteria floribunda, which are native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States (silky wisteria). All three species have significant growth rates and can extend out to a maximum of 20 meters (66 feet) against a wall or around 10 meters (33 feet) in trees. Wisteria can also be trained to grow as a free-standing standard in a big container or border.

Wisterias for pergolas and arches

The Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is best exhibited hanging down from a garden structure like a pergola or arch since it has the longest flower sprays (or racemes) of all the species. They entwine in a clockwise motion while simultaneously bearing blooms and leaves. Lilac blue blooms and racemes as long as 1.2 meters (4 feet) are produced by Wisteria floribunda f. multijuga AGM in the early summer.

Wisterias for walls

Wisteria sinensis, often known as Chinese wisteria, blooms in the springtime before the leaves do. For example, Wisteria sinensis ‘Amethyst’ AGM has violet blue blooms with a reddish flush produced in dense racemes to 30cm (1ft) long in late spring or early summer. They twine anticlockwise and the racemes are shorter so they are best presented against a wall.

Silky wisteria (Wisteria brachybotrys), which can be grown against walls or on pergolas, with downy leaves and small racemes of 10-15cm (4-6in). White flowers with center yellow markings, a strong perfume, and 10-15 cm tall sprays of wisteria brachybotrys f. albiflora ‘Shiro-kapitan’ AGM bloom in the spring and early summer.

If you want to cultivate a wisteria in a big container

It is best to choose Wisteria fructens ‘Amethyst Falls’ because of its compact habit and rich clusters of lilac-blue blooms.

Always choose a wisteria that has been developed from cuttings or by grafting when purchasing one because seed-raised wisterias flower less consistently and take longer to bloom. The graft union should be seen as a swelling close to the stem’s base. Unlike species, named cultivars are virtually always grafted. Purchase your wisteria in flower or go with a specific cultivar to avoid disappointment.

Wisterias are offered for sale as container-grown plants at garden centers and online, and you can use the RHS Find a Plant tool to locate particular cultivars.

Wisteria should ideally be planted between October and April. Wisterias grown in containers can be planted at any time of the year, but fall and winter are the easiest times to maintain. Give them healthy, well-drained soil to plant in.

Wisterias bloom best in full sun, so pick a wall or pergola that faces south or west. Although blossoming will be diminished, they will still grow in light shade.

Wisterias are robust climbers that can grow to a height and width of more than 10 meters (33 feet). You’ll need to give support in the form of wires, trellises, or outside buildings like pergolas or arches against a wall. Wisteria can also be grown up a support or taught up a tree to create a standard. A wisteria can be grown in a border or container by being trained into a standard, which reduces its vigor.

If you want to grow your wisteria in a container, you’ll need a sizable one that is at least 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and is filled with potting soil with a loam basis, like John Innes No. 3.

Feeding

Use Growmore or Fish, Blood and Bone on your wisteria in the spring at the suggested rate listed on the packet. Additionally, apply sulphate of potash at a rate of 20g per sq m (1/2 oz per sq yard) on sandy soils (which have low potassium levels). Fertilizers for flowering shrubs or roses are another option.

Feed wisteria in containers using Miracle-Gro, Phostrogen, or another comparable flowering plant food. A different option is to add controlled-release fertilizer to the compost.

Although wisteria has a reputation for being challenging to prune, this is untrue. Once you’ve made it a habit to prune your wisteria twice a year, you should be rewarded with a pleasing flower show.

When you prune regularly, you reduce the excessive, whippy growth from July and August to five to six leaves, or roughly 30 cm (1ft). This increases the possibility of blossom buds budding and permits the wood to ripen. Then, in February, trim these shoots even more to two or three buds, or around 10 cm (4 in), to tidy up the plant before the growing season starts and make it possible to observe the new flowers.

When your juvenile wisteria has completely covered a wall or other garden structure, start the routine pruning to promote flowering.

Small gardens benefit greatly from the training of wisteria as a free-standing standard in a border or container.

Wisteria can be trained to ascend into a tiny tree’s canopy, however doing so could eventually harm the tree. Pruning will be challenging if the plant develops into a huge tree, and a dense leaf canopy will affect flowering.

Increase your wisteria stocks by layering in the summer, taking softwood cuttings in the spring to mid-summer, or taking hardwood cuttings in the winter since seed-raised wisteria can take up to 20 years to flower.

Wisteria is typically propagated via grafting in professional nurseries, however layering is the simplest and most dependable technique for home gardeners.

Established wisteria can produce hanging, bean-like seedpods after a lengthy summer. While wisteria plants grown from seeds are typically of inferior quality, you might want to try growing wisteria yourself.

After the leaves have fallen, gather the seedpods and let them ripen in an open tray.
When the seed is ready, twist open the pod and sow it 2 cm (3/4 in) deep in seed compost.
Before planting if the seed is dry, soak it for 24 hours.

See our commonly asked questions page for a summary of wisteria issues.

Poor flowering

Poor flowering is the most frequent issue for backyard gardeners, and it can be brought on by a variety of factors, such as:

Young plants can take up to 20 years to flower, so acquire a plant that is already in bloom or go with a certain cultivar because they are typically grafted to avoid disappointment.
Examine your pruning methods and timing because early and midsummer trimming will prevent the growth of flowers the next year.
Wisteria flowers best in broad light; deep shadow produces few, if any, flowers.
Water your wisteria during periods of drought from July to September because a lack of water during this time will influence the development of flower buds the next year.
Flower buds may drop before opening as a result of spring frosts, which can harm or deform growing flowers.
Applying sulphate of potash in the spring will encourage bloom production for the next year in soils that may lack potassium.
The damage caused by pigeons or mice can be identified by torn petals or distinctive teeth marks.