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James H. Schutte
Fabaceae
Wisteria floribunda
Japanese Wisteria
Introduced to Western gardens in 1830 but cultivated in its native Japan for centuries, this rampant, hardy, deciduous woody twiner blooms showily in late spring with long hanging clusters of fragrant pea-like flowers in blue, violet, pink or white, followed by hanging velvety green pods. The flowers open sequentially from the base of the cluster. The bright green pinnate leaves have more than a dozen leaflets. There are many cultivars, varying mainly in the length and color of the flower clusters. One cultivar, ‘Macrobotrys,’ has clusters three times as long as other cultivars, and ‘Violacea Plena' has double, purple-violet flowers.
This wisteria, like others, grows and blooms best in full sun and well-drained soil, and sometimes takes several years to flower. Soil that is too rich in nitrogen may promote leafage at the expense of flowers. Large and vigorous, Japanese wisteria needs a sturdy arbor or trellis for support and pruning to keep it in bounds. It can be trained as a small tree by staking a shoot upright, removing side shoots and restraining the top shoots by pruning for several years until the stem is self-supporting. It is listed as an exotic invasive in several areas including the eastern United States.
9 - 3
5 - 9
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vine/Liana
Full Sun, Partial Sun
15'-30' / 4.6m - 9.1m
Late Spring
Japan
Acidic, Neutral
Well Drained
Loam
Very Fast
Average Water
Vining/Climbing
Spring, Summer
Showy
White, Blue, Pink, Blue Violet
Green
Yellow Green
Gray
Yes
No
Single
Medium
Matte
Feature Plant, Groundcover, Vine
Sometimes
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