Botanical Name: Wisteria sinensis
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Common Name: Chinese Wisteria  
Plant photo of: Wisteria sinensis
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Vine

 

Height Range

25-40'

 

Flower Color

Blue, Purple, White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Bronze, Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Fast

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Well-drained

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Japanese, Mediterranean, Spanish

 

Accenting Features

Espalier, Fragrance, Showy Flowers, Silhouette, Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

Background, Entry, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cascade, Cut Flowers

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer: Normans/Engstrom/Frommer
  • Description

  • Notes

Chinese wisteria is a vigorous, vining plant that can grow 30 feet or more. Long racemes appear in May, are fragrant (though not as fragrant as Japanese wisteria) and are soft blue-violet to white, depending on the cultivar. Foliage is pinnate, emerges before blooms, and is bronze turning to soft green.
This is a very vigorous vine. No small, cute garden trellises. Give it a fence, garage, or pergola to cover. Prune right after flowering. Too much nitrogen fertilizer can inhibit blooming, so avoid planting near heavily fed lawns.