Wisterias

The Wisteria is a strong, fast growing deciduous vine with alternating compound leaves. In spring it produces long drooping clusters of bluish-purple fragrant flowers.

Most wisteria bonsai are of medium or large size because the long flower clusters need some height to hang from. Wisterias are very well suited for bonsai but their special feature is the flowers. After flowering the trunk and branches are hidden under long leaves and proliferating tendrils and then the wisteria returns to the second row in the bonsai garden.

Excerpt from Bonsai Empire


There are many Wisteria species – from many different countries.

Chinese (sinensis)
Japanese (floribunda)
Silky or Venusta (brachybotryst)
North American (frutescens)
American (macrostachya) or Kentucky wisteria

Japanese and Silky can stand lower temperatures than Chinese.

Chinese

There are four main varieties:

  • A common mauve

  • Amethyst – a darker purple

  • Alba – white

  • Jako – a stronger scented white

All Chinese wisteria twine anticlockwise.

Japanese

There are dozens. Floribunda Longissima (macrobotryst) is probably the most well-known. It has very long racemes. Other floribundas available are:

  • Violacea Plena – a double mauve

  • Kuchibeni – a very pale lilac pink

  • Honbeni – a stronger pink

  • Royal Purple – deep mauve, long racemes

  • Lawrence – sky blue

  • Shiro Noda – a long white

Silky

These are less familiar but are stunning nonetheless. Most are highly scented and have rich golden leaves in autumn.

  • Shiro Kapitan – sometimes called ‘White Silk’, highly perfumed, white

  • Showa Beni – a stunning pink

  • Murasaki Kapitan – a mauve

  • Okayama – a deeper mauve

North American

These have a shorter raceme, and are not as fragrant.

  • Amethyst Falls – deep mauve and blooms on current seasons growth

American (Kentucky)

These are very similar to frutescens.

  • Aunt Dee – light purple and a light fragrance

  • Blue Moon – blue/purple

  • Clara Mac – white

Some of the most richly scented are:

  • Murasaki Kapitan

  • Shiro Kapitan

  • Kuchi Beni

  • Lawrence

  • Royal Purple

  • Jako

Cultivation:

Position: Full sun all year but can be kept in the shade while bare in winter.

Potting:

I keep all of mine in 30cm (12 inch) black plastic pots unless a spring show is coming up then the ones to go into the show are planted in spring into a suitable deep display pot. They like plenty of room.

Potting mix:

Wisteria are gross feeders and flower best when well fed the previous season. I use any good well drained potting mix with 1/3 old fibrous cow manure and lots of complete Osmocote added. After repotting they are watered well but well drained.

From about November on through summer and autumn the pots are placed in a shallow saucer and kept sitting in water as they are also thirsty little beggars. When they start to drop the leaves in autumn the saucers are removed and normal watering is continued.

I let the vines grow up bamboo stakes for the whole of summer and autumn as they will be making sugars and nutrients to set flower buds for the following spring. Sometimes I just nip the tip off the ends when they are about a meter long. Sometimes when this is done or they are pruned more heavily they throw out flowers in the middle of summer. These are the dormant buds meant for the following spring being forced to shoot.

Feeding:

Normal complete fert during spring and summer and change to a high Potassium fert from about March on for a couple of feeds.

Pruning:

Autumn or late winter I cut all the vines back to about 12.5 cm or 5 inches. There should be no new growth at that time of year and the flower buds will stay dormant until spring.

Beginners, Guide, ArticleNicole DentonWisteria