Wisteria - Purple

The tumbling blue-purple flowers of the wisteria are some of the most beautiful you’ll find. They bloom in early summer, adding elegance wherever you put them. Wisteria requires a little patience as it can take several years to properly establish and produce an impressive display of flowers, but it’s worth the effort. The more care you give it the better it gets each year.

Wisteria can be grown in a pot or planted in the ground. If you keep it potted it’s easier to look after. The pot will restrict the roots and stop it becoming huge. Keep its soil moist and give it a weekly feed in spring. If you plant it in the ground it will need something to climb up. Something strong. Ideally it should be trained up a wall, which will be able to take the weight of the plant as it grows.

Whether in a pot or the ground, wisteria needs to be pruned carefully, every August and February. In August, cut back any new stems so they only have five leaves left on them. You’ll know which stems are new as they’ll be long and whip-like. In February, cut back the same stems so they have just three leaves. This work will be worth it. A properly pruned wisteria will flower much, much more than one that hasn’t been pruned. 

Once you see a mature wisteria you’ll know why people take so much care to grow them. Over several centuries, it’s become popular all over the world, often trained up the walls of grand buildings, producing a breathtaking cascade of flowers every year. 

Did you know?

The largest known wisteria was planted in Sierra Madre, California, USA, in 1894. It covers more than an acre of land and weighs 250 tons.