{"id":9856,"date":"2022-04-26T14:58:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T12:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=78648"},"modified":"2022-04-26T15:21:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T13:21:19","slug":"wisteria-how-to-grow-and-train-wisteria-plus-20-of-the-best-varieties","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/wisteria-how-to-grow-and-train-wisteria-plus-20-of-the-best-varieties\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisteria: how to grow and train wisteria, plus 20 of the best varieties"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Abigail Whyte\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 26 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Wisterias are climbing plants<\/a> par excellence. No matter how it is trained, a wisteria in full flower, with hundreds if not thousands of racemes, cannot fail to excite the beholder.<\/p>\n

Although the most common wisteria are blue-mauve there are also white, pink or purple forms, and while there are some forms of Wisteria floribunda<\/em> that have only a slight scent, most are highly perfumed adding immensely to their desirability as a garden plant.<\/p>\n

Wisteria climb by twining. Some species, such as Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0floribunda<\/em>, twine in a clockwise direction, while others, such as Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0sinensis<\/em> in an anti-clockwise direction. All have a compound pinnate leaf and the flowers, or more correctly inflorescences, are racemes, which vary in length and contain between 20 and 170 individual flowers, depending on species and cultivar. By far the most commonly seen species in the UK is the Chinese wisteria, Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0sinensis<\/em>, which was introduced to cultivation in 1816 and rapidly became popular. The original plant introduced was named Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0sinensis<\/em> \u2018Prolific\u2019, and it is still one of the best blue cultivars available, with a gorgeous scent.<\/p>\n

IN BRIEF<\/strong><\/p>\n

What<\/strong>\u00a0Five species and two hybrid groups of vigorous, woody climbers with twining stems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Origins<\/strong>\u00a0Most are found in Japan, but wisteria are also native to China and\u00a0the USA. The three most commonly grown species in the UK are\u00a0Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0floribunda<\/em>\u00a0(Japanese wisteria),\u00a0Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0sinensis<\/em>\u00a0(Chinese wisteria)\u00a0and\u00a0Wisteria<\/em>\u00a0brachybotrys<\/em>\u00a0(silky wisteria).<\/p>\n

Season<\/strong>\u00a0Most flower April to June, but some can flower as late as July.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Size<\/strong>\u00a0Wisteria are strong-growing plants that can reach up to 20m, although their eventual size will largely be determined by the allotted space. Wisterias can be kept to a height of 2m if grown on a post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conditions<\/strong>\u00a0In the wild, wisteria are found in woodland areas with their roots in shade and leaves in the tree canopy in full sun. Although happiest in moist, well-drained soils, wisteria will grow in most soils.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Other cultivars worth looking out for are the white-flowered W. sinensis<\/em> \u2018Jako\u2019, which has longer racemes and a very powerful scent, especially at dusk when its presence is quite ghostly, and the violet-mauve W. sinensis<\/em> \u2018Amethyst\u2019, one of the most highly scented cultivars.<\/p>\n

Whichever wisteria you choose, these vigorous climbers in full flower are a glorious sight to behold and provided you ensure they are grown in the right conditions \u2013 and are properly trained and pruned<\/a> \u2013 your success in growing one is virtually guaranteed.<\/p>\n

How to grow wisteria<\/h2>\n

How to train wisteria<\/h3>\n

Although wisteria is often seen trained along wires on a house or a wall, it can also be extremely effective grown up pergola<\/a> supports or archways \u2013 especially in the case of wisterias with long racemes that are best admired without branches or foliage getting in the way \u2013 or as a standard wisteria tree up a post. But no matter how you train your wisteria, the importance of initial training can\u2019t be stressed strongly enough:<\/p>\n