Wisteria Tree – Growing and Planting Tips

The Wisteria tree is well-recognized for its clusters or groups of purple flowers that it tends to bloom every spring. It also has a fragrance that many gardeners have also embraced, making it their favorite perennial vine. Though this tree may be vigorous, it can get out of hand if left uncontrolled. We will now learn more about the famous Chinese Wisteria Tree and how you can carefully cultivate it.

“Wisteria” Feature and Description

Wisteria is a flower that lasts for a long time and also grows into trees, with purple and blue flowers that are white and pink. When the flowers grow on an archway or pergola in the early summer, they can look stunning.

It is a strong, fast-growing plant. It can grow up to 30 feet long and is heavyweight. Its vines will work their way to all the hard-to-reach holes and crannies. For this reason, it is ill-advised to plant or grow mimosa close to your house.

Wisteria is a beautifully fragrant flower that can provide all the senses with something to enjoy. After it produces beautiful flowers, there will be a brown, bean-like pod left over.

Wisterias usually bloom on young growth, and can easily be identified by their common physical features.

Flowers

The wisteria, a flowering plant, features clusters of flowers that cascade from the vines. As well as being a remarkable display of color and scent, those flowers are among the most recognizable features of this plant.

With the right amount of patience, you can expect your tree wisteria to produce pretty colors in just a few years. Trees may be up to five feet tall within two years after planting and come in colors such as purple, mauve, lilac, or pink.

This flower will produce dangling racemes in shades of pink, white and purple in the shade. Encourage this occurrence annually by ensuring that it receives 6 hours of light each day. Pruning 2 times a year will also help encourage blooming.

Color

The color purple is often associated with the Wisteria. However, different colors can be associated with this flower depending on where you live in the world. For example, in China the most popular colors are lilac, pink and white while people living in Japan see more of a mixture of those colors with a little bit of purple-blue.

Leaves

The tree wisteria also has compound leaves with small, smooth, and glossy green leaflets that are around one to three inches long and max one inch wide. Each stem can have up to nineteen leaflets.

One fact about these vining plants is that they tend to drop leaves during the fall season. In most cases, the color of its foliage during this season is bright yellow and bronze with a bit of yellow tint.

Seeds and Fruit

The pods of wisteria, when it is a mature plant, will be green to brown, with seeds inside the pod and at least 6 inches long. The wisteria will also grow in late autumn (fall) too.

Wisteria Tree Versus Wisteria Vines

Plant a wisteria vine and manage it, so it will grow in size. The vine itself is strong but if you train it correctly, you can form the vine into a tree. The best way to grow a vining plant into a tree is to provide strong support for the primary stem. You should also regularly prune the side shoots in order to establish an overhanging canopy.

If you care it properly, the wisteria can grow into a beautiful tree. It will typically have cascading flowers and drooping branches. The wisteria is easy to grow in USDA zones 4 to 9.

When you want to grow a small variation of plants, containers are your best option. Planting the wisterias in containers is especially useful because it will help make the plant more manageable as it grows larger.

The wisteria vining plants can be trimmed into bonsai trees, which have small and dangling purple flowers. You trim the bonsai properly so that it produces groups of small and dangling purple flowers.

Types of the Wisteria Vines

Your ultimate choice between different kinds of Wisteria will most likely come down to different factors like aesthetics and what species is available in your area. 

One gardener say that Wisterias are their favorite, because they are both showy, fragrant, and have various colors. Most people use a Wisteria vine to make their garden more beautiful too. In general, these plants grow best in moist, but well-drained soil.

Japanese Wisteria

The Wisteria floribunda is capable of generating a 2-3 ft. long flower cluster that comes in colors such as lavender, white, deep purple, and blue.

Japanese wisteria is a type of deciduous vine that can fill your garden with nice scents and add pastel colors to your gardens. The plant grows well in moderately moist soil, under the full sun, and will grow around 10 to 30 feet.

The Wisteria floribunda will flourish in USDA zones from 4 to 9. It has green leaves that turn yellow come the fall. Wisteria has cone-shaped blooms in a variety of colors and fragrances. A flower with double racemes that is showy, even more so when it has intense yet pleasant scents.

If a wisteria abounds, you can differentiate it by its distinguishing clockwise twisting vines. This allows for easy recognition of Chinese Wisteria from the hybrid American and Japanese Wisterias.

Chinese Wisteria

The Chinese wisteria tree is also well known by its botanical name, Wisteria Sinensis. As the name suggests, it originates from China and has a heavy fragrance with colorful blooms during the summer and spring.

The Copemicus flower comes in shades of bluish-purple, pink, white, and violet. It will start blooming during the early spring and appear before the plant’s leaves. When it reaches full bloom, it can grow to a length of twelve inches.

The tulip tree’s leaves look similar to copper or bronze. Leaves turn green in the summertime and are oval-shaped with 7-13 leaflets each.

This herb can grow up to 25 feet in height with a life-span of 10 years. It requires full sun with moderately fertile soil and medium moisture. It is hard, so it is drought-tolerant as well.

American Wisteria

This species, which is native to the US, can be expected to thrive really well in several places that are not part of California. These include the Southeastern areas from Texas to Florida.

One can describe the American wisteria as a vigorous and slender climber with clusters reaching 6 inches in length. This plant tends to bloom from April-May, emerging once the foliage appears.

The American Wisteria can grow in 5 to 9 USDA zones and usually doesn’t need regular watering. It tends to grow the tallest in full sun, but will also produce blooms in partial shade or with regular watering.

In comparison to the Japanese and Chinese wisterias, the American variation is not as aggressive. This is just as beautiful as the mentioned species but still grows at a slower pace, preventing it from overtaking your garden.

You can recognize the American wisteria by its pods, which are smooth and bean-like. The Japanese and Chinese species differ in the pods – they are either velvety or fuzzy.

The Perfect Time to Plant the Wisteria (Planting the Wisteria

The best time to plant the Wisteria is in early spring or fall. This plant becomes dormant during that time and you suffer minimal stress if you replant it. The Wisteria will also survive better if you plant it in a container on the ground, then transfer it when dormancy begins.

Where Should You Plant Wisteria?

To create the perfect Wisteria, you need to plant the flowers in an area exposed to the full sun while facing a Western wall or Southern wall.

Choose an area with fertile and moist soil that is well-drained but with added compost. The wisteria will be a perennial vine variety that will be drought-resistant once it has established itself.

The vining plant is strong and robust, able to grow for years. This makes it necessary to pick a spot that will be able to provide the support needed.

If you plant wisteria in a pot, it will most likely be limited to the size of the container. Plant this flowering vine in your garden for the best enjoyment of its colorful blossoms.

How to Plant and Care for the Wisteria?

Plant the wisteria tree in a hole that is two times as wide as its diameter and as deep as the root ball. Planting a wisteria requires breaking the ground with a hole two times the size of the root ball. Keep in mind that it has to be of equal depth as well. Put the plant straight into the hole with care.

Remove any excess dirt, pack it down a little bit and finally water the area every few inches to get rid of any underground air pockets.

You should space each planter at least ten to fifteen feet apart. If vines grow fast and intertwine, they may create a tangle that will eventually damage vines and plants.

One should also note that the care and maintenance of the wisteria plant should be focused on the following areas:

Sunlight

The wisteria will grow if you expose it to full sunlight. Give it a minimum of six hours of sunlight a day, and it will produce more flowers.

Water

The vines need water only seasonally, not during the whole year. If you provide only a moderate amount of water and allow the roots to establish themselves, drought can be tolerated for a short period of time.

It’s also bad for a plant’s growth. Too much water or the wrong type of fertilizer can stop your flowers from blooming. The reason is that too many leaves can mean not enough flowers.

Soil

It is important to have the right soil conditions so that the plant is not harmed. Some plants need basic soil while others need acidic soil. Wisteria vines grow better in loamy soil that has just the right amount of nutrients. You want to avoid a certain type of soil with too much nitrogen and too little acidic content, or else it’ll stunt the plant.

Fertilizer

One thing that makes the wisteria stand out is that it is quality to be aggressive and fast-growing. Despite this, you still have to fertilize the plant regularly. Even though, it is still important to make sure the soil has healthy nutrition content to keep the plant alive and healthy.

When it comes to fertilizing, it’s better to use high-nitrogen fertilizers if you want the plant to grow leaves, rather than flowers. High-phosphorus fertilizers are preferable if you want to produce more flowers

Propagation

Propagating a Wisteria Vine is difficult. Grafting and propagation by cuttings are better options because it can take a long time for the vine to bloom. 

With the use of hormones, plants can have better root development during propagation. Make sure not to underwater so that the plant is at risk for having a shallow root system. Giving more water than necessary during propagation can help the plant establish a more well-established root system.

Pruning

Wisteria trees require you to prune them often. If branches grow low, you should trim them. The best way to do it is from the base of the tree so that it stimulates the primary stem to grow.

To manage the tree form, you should remove lower shoots to allow new growth. So any new growth that may occur should be uppermost.

One important part of caring for a bonsai is to trim the top of the plant (branch) in order to keep it from taking over. This should be done around spring to keep it healthy.

Blooming Tips for Your Wisteria

It may take a long time, even years, for your wisteria to start producing nice flowers. You need to be patient before expecting anything in return as it grows.

Some gardeners are frustrated that they cannot see any flowers on their wisteria even when the first time it’s blooming has passed. Other potential causes may be that the plant is too young or other factors such as soil quality.

• Pruning plant care
• Too much shade
• Getting frostbite from flowers
• Applying too much fertilizer can cause damage

If you think your wisteria is not producing flowers, then here are some tips to help encourage abundance in the following ways:

You should not purchase a wisteria that has been cultivated and grown from seeds.

While plants from seeds will most likely stay in the juvenile stage for a long time, if you can do so, buy propagated or grafted wisteria cuttings. They should come from a trusted bloomer.

Learn why you should choose to grow Kentucky or American wisteria

This is a great tip for anyone looking to avoid frost damage on their flower buds.  The reason is that these species will develop flowers based on the current season. 

Vine plants already established should not be fertilized or overwatered

If a Wisteria tree is overwatered, has nitrogen fertilizer or represents any type of stress, then it’s unlikely that the plant will flower. It’s best to avoid overwatering and fertilization

Conclusion

Wisteria is a stunning flowering plant that will also provide an appealing fragrance. All you need to do is plant it and watch it grow! Although this plant can grow quite large, it doesn’t want to take over your whole garden. You should buy one or two now and watch them change from bare stems into lush green leaves with beautiful flowers.