Wisteria
Wisteria is a wonderful flowering vine that can grow 25 feet into trees or onto other structures with an awesome display of flowers. The 2 primary species of wisteria grown in home gardens are Chinese Wisteria and Japanese Wisteria.
Among the attributes of wisteria are:
The flowers of wisteria are pea-like and occur in:
Growing Wisteria: Wisteria vines naturally grow on trees with their roots embedded in the forest floor where rich organic matter of the leaf litter. The top growth of the wisteria vine grows up strongly towards the light. To grow wisteria successfully you’ll need to recreate those conditions as much as possible. At home, select a place where the roots can be in the shade but will allow the wisteria’s top growth to find sun against a wall or other structure.
The wisteria vine is vigorous and will need a strong support system to accommodate its fast growth (wisteria can grow up to 10 feet per year). Wisteria climbs naturally by sending out shoots that look tree branches to climb on. Once the wisteria finds a branch it starts to turn clockwise in a circular motion that results in coiling around and securing it. Note: If you are training a wisteria vine and attach it using a counter-clockwise direction the vine will have to untwist itself and re-twist in a clockwise direction.
Danger: The seeds and seed pods of wisteria are poisonous and thus children & pets should be kept from ingesting them. Site Requirements: Wisteria requires full sun for 6 or more hours per day. The soil should be moderately fertile, moist, and should not dry out excessively. They will adapt to most soil conditions though they prefer a neutral to slightly acid soil. It’s a good idea to conduct a soil pH test before planting to make sure the soil mixture is right.
When actually planting prepare the soil in an area 2-3 feet in diameter and 18-24 inches deep. Mix into the soil peat moss, compost, or well rotted manure to improve soil aeration and water drainage. Note: Wisterias do not transplant very well. |
