Wisteria sinensis flowers close up. All about Chinese wisteria. Chinese wisteria in landscape design

Among the plants, there is probably nothing more spectacular than flowering climbing vines. They are so elegant that they can turn a wall of a house, a fence, any garden into a living holiday. As a rule, such representatives of the decorative flora have many varieties that strive to overtake each other in terms of external attractiveness. You can give a wonderful example of such a beautifully flowering liana shrub - or wisteria. The most common type of it is called Chinese wisteria.

General information about the wisteria plant

Wisteria is in culture with early XIX century. It was named after the American anatomist Caspar Wister. In Europe, the plant first appeared in the middle of the XVIII century. It was a specific type of wisteria - W. fructesceens, and the starting point was the North American continent. In 1815, the Old World learned about Chinese wisteria, which was brought from the Celestial Empire, the historical homeland of culture. In general, the cradle of wisteria has many faces, since it has its own for each variety of plant. Geographically, these are river coasts and tropical rainforests.

Wisteria is a member of the legume family., in other words, it is a direct relative of ordinary beans, green peas and peanuts. She acquired the second name "wisteria", probably just because of her belonging to the above green clan, because most of the fruits of legumes really have a sweetish taste, especially when raw. The reason could be the breathtaking appearance of the blooming wisteria. Its fruits, by the way, are elongated, gray-yellow, flat beans, moreover, poisonous.

In height, plants of the genus Wisteria reach, as a rule, 15-20 m, their racemose inflorescences are also rather big - 15-20 cm. Fragrant flowers of various colors are collected in the latter: purple, purple, yellow, white, blue, pink, etc. Beautiful and dense foliage, consisting of long - 30-45 cm - pinnate vegetative organs, lightly pubescent in adulthood and densely - at a young age. Wisteria has impressive dimensions: its total weight sometimes exceeds 34 kg. The flowering of culture occurs at the end of spring - the beginning of summer, in European countries happens a little earlier.

As for the directly common type of Chinese wisteria, the following parameters can be noted here:

• plant height is within 20 m;
• the stems curl around the support in a clockwise direction;
• leaves are compound, pinnate, long (30 cm);
• racemose inflorescences of about the same length;
• panicled reproductive organs on the plant appear at the time of the appearance of the leaves;
• within the framework of inflorescences, the buds bloom all at the same time;
• secondary flowering occurs in late summer - early autumn, it is less lush compared to the first.

Wisteria can also be seen here, in Russia, in the southern regions: on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory, the Crimean Peninsula. And although, according to climatic preferences, wisteria is unlikely to take root in the more northern regions of the country, it is still worth trying to breed it there.

Growth and development of wisteria

Of course, wisteria requires certain conditions of detention, and your task as a grower is to provide their culture to the maximum.

• Light mode.
  Wisteria is a photophilous plant. Despite this, the culture is recommended to be kept/cultivated in a place where there is more penumbra throughout the day. You can achieve diffused light by shading the windows in the room with wisteria, if the exotic is located all year round in a house or greenhouse, and not in the open field outside the apartment. A small amount of direct sunlight is allowed, so the best place for wisteria - the southern sector.

• Temperature regime.
  The elegant beauty of wisteria belongs to winter-hardy species. It withstands temperatures down to -20º in winter. True, Chinese wisteria is still less stable in this regard than, say, its opponent, Wisteria luxuriant. In summer, there should be no drafts in the room with the plant. If the crop is planted in open ground, this place must be protected from the winds. Too high air temperatures for the cultivation of Chinese wisteria are not welcome. Winter minimum +10º.
• Air humidity.
  Wisteria needed average level content of water vapor in the atmosphere surrounding the plant. For this purpose, the culture is periodically sprayed, on hot summer days more often than usual. Use a spray bottle and settled water.
• Substrate quality and capacity.
  Wisteria prefers fertile soil with a lot of humus and nutrients - mainly loam and black soil. Wetlands, as well as a substrate rich in lime, are categorically not suitable for the plant. In general, wisteria does not impose special requirements on the quality of the soil. If you are going to keep wisteria indoors, take a container that is spacious enough to plant the crop - it grows quickly. It can be tubs, flowerpots, pots.

Wisteria at home

Wisteria (Chinese wisteria) needs constant soil moisture. Watering is recommended to be done regularly, in summer, especially on hot days, often and plentifully. The same applies to the period of active growth. Wisteria does not tolerate drying out of an earthy coma.

In the middle of spring, a beautifully flowering culture needs top dressing without fail. Special complexes are used to carry out this procedure. mineral fertilizers liquid consistency: NPK+Me. In general, it is recommended to fertilize several times a season.

The culture should be transplanted as needed. The new soil must meet the following requirements: looseness, airiness, high water and air permeability, the presence of peat. Best time for transplanting wisteria - spring.

In order for the wisteria to bloom profusely, look lush and healthy, it is necessary to prune annually, at the end of the spring period. She is subjected to last year's shoots less than 30 cm long.

The second pruning is carried out in August of the current year. Shoots in this period are cut into 5 buds. The next spring, after the shelter has been removed - and wisteria should certainly be covered with foil for the winter if it grows in the garden - and the shoots are tied to a support, last year's growth is shortened by a few more buds. Adhering to such a simple pruning scheme, you will certainly achieve lush flowering of wisteria.

Now about reproduction. The offspring from Chinese wisteria allow you to get the sowing of seeds, cuttings, followed by rooting, the method of layering. The most effective rooting of cuttings, as the latter quickly take root, and also the method of horizontal layering. Experts recommend two more breeding methods that have an almost 100% guarantee of achieving the desired results: grafting and planting varietal material.

The probable problems in the cultivation of beautifully flowering wisteria can only be attributed to the lack of moisture. Wisteria is practically not affected by pests.

Wisteria or wisteria is a large tree-like vine in the legume family. It can be called a real flowering miracle, since several times a year the plant is abundantly covered with multi-colored garlands of delicate flowers, similar to jets of colorful rain with a pleasant sweetish aroma. Charming wisteria is planted in parks and gardens. It makes an indelible impression on any passer-by. The habitat of wisteria affects the humid subtropical forests of China and Japan, it grows well in the Black Sea region and in southern Russia. Breeders managed to develop several frost-resistant varieties suitable for temperate climates.

plant description

Wisteria is a perennial deciduous vine. It branches from the very base and after a year the shoots become more durable, woody. They are covered with brown bark with deep vertical grooves. The length of the vine can reach 18-20 m. The stems of the first year are covered with a smooth olive bark.

On young shoots, large petiolate foliage of an unpaired form blooms. The length of one sheet reaches 30 cm. It has 7-13 oval-shaped segments with solid edges and a pointed end. Dark green leaves are covered with a short pile immediately after emergence, but gradually become smooth.

Large inflorescences of some species appear in early spring, before the foliage blooms. Others bloom after the leaves appear. Under favorable conditions, wisteria blooms up to three times a year. Long drooping flower stalks are completely dotted with small flowers in the form of moths. Their structure is characteristic of all legumes. The entire racemose inflorescence with closely growing buds looks like a garland. The color of the flowers is dominated by various shades of blue and purple. There are also white, pink and yellow wisterias.

The plant is pollinated by insects, after which long flat beans of an ashen or gray-brown hue ripen. Inside them are several round flat seeds of dark brown color.

Types and varieties for the garden

In total, 9 species are registered in the wisteria genus, but only 3 of them are especially popular in landscape design. Thanks to the work of breeders, varieties with a variety of petal colors, as well as frost-resistant ones, appeared.

A woody vine, climbing a support, twists around it counterclockwise. The height of the vine reaches 15-20 m. It is covered with regular pinnate leaves with 7-13 segments. In spring, before the leaves open, drooping racemose inflorescences up to 30 cm long appear. Light purple flowers exude a pleasant intense aroma. The variety loves heat and can only withstand short-term cold snaps down to -20°C. Decorative varieties:

• Alba - with long snow-white inflorescences;
• Captivity - flowers on drooping brushes have a terry shape and are painted in a white-lilac hue;
• Sierra Madre - blooms in late March with lavender-purple brushes;
• Blue Sapphire - a vine up to 20 m long is covered with large emerald foliage. In May, long, racemose inflorescences hang on flexible peduncles, light purple moth flowers bloom on them.

The plant lives in North America. Its height is 10-15 m. Growth is less aggressive. A distinctive feature is resistance to frost down to -35 ... -40 ° C. 7-9 dark green segments grow on the petiole. The length of the brush is 20-30 cm. Varieties:

• Blue moon (“Blue Moon”) - a frost-resistant variety awakens a little later and blooms with blue-lilac tassels with a delicate aroma;
• Clara Mac is a less winter-hardy plant with snow-white tassels up to 35 cm in length.

Wisteria multiflorum (flowering). Liana with lignified shoots grows up to 7-10 m in length. It climbs along a vertical support in a clockwise direction. Young stems are covered with large (about 40 cm) dark green pinnate leaves. There are up to 19 leaf blades on the petiole. Inflorescences on the vine bloom much larger. The length of the brush can reach 50-60 cm. Due to the closely spaced flowers and inflorescences, the vine gives the impression of a continuous blooming and fragrant canopy. The buds open from the base of the peduncle, they are painted in light purple or blue. The flowering period begins in May.

Reproduction features

Wisteria is propagated by cuttings, air layering, grafting and seeds. For seed propagation, it is necessary to prepare pots with sand, leafy and soddy soil. Large seeds are evenly distributed on the surface and deepened by 1 cm. The soil is watered and covered with a film. The pot is kept at +25°C. Seeds germinate in 3-4 weeks. Germination is about 25%. Sprouts need to provide bright diffused light. The film can be removed. With the appearance of two true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into separate small pots with a clod of earth so as not to damage the rhizome. For several hours a day they are hardened in a cool room. For the next spring, seedlings can be identified on permanent place in the garden. Unfortunately, this method is not very efficient. Flowering occurs in 5-10 years, and varietal characteristics are not transmitted to offspring.

The simplest propagation method for the average gardener is the air layering method. For him, in early spring, an oblique cut is made on a one-year-old shoot. The stem is tilted and immersed in a container with earth. The top must remain free. After 1-3 months, up to half of these shoots take root. To increase rooting, the cut is treated with a preparation for the formation of roots. By August, the layers will be quite strong, but the branch is produced for next spring.

In late autumn, after the foliage has fallen, one-year-old cuttings are harvested. Each should contain 2-3 internodes. The branches are tied in a small bundle and placed in a pot with moist soil. In early spring, the cuttings are taken out of storage and planted in a cold greenhouse or immediately in open ground. Each branch is covered with a plastic cap. When the cutting takes root and the buds bloom, the cap is removed.

The vaccination method is only suitable for experienced gardeners. Grafting of a varietal plant is done on the roots. The procedure is carried out in May-June, so that the plant has time to take root before frost.

Landing Rules

For planting wisteria, you should choose a sunny, warm place that is protected from drafts. She will be comfortable on the south side of the house or fence, where direct sunlight hits most of the day. With a lack of sun, flowering and development is reduced.

Planting creepers is best done at the end of March, when the snow has completely melted and the earth has warmed up. Short-term frosts are not terrible for all types of wisteria, but it is better to wait until they pass. The soil for planting should be nutritious and well-drained. Wisteria prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soils. Prepare for each seedling landing pit up to a depth of 60 cm. Mineral dressing is first introduced into the ground.

After planting, the plants are well watered. You need to be prepared for the fact that the first year wisteria adapts for a long time and grows slowly. Only after 2-3 years, long thin shoots will turn into dense stems similar to a tree trunk.

Care Secrets

Charming wisteria is famous for its undemanding character. Already for 2-3 years, the first inflorescences appear, and after a few more years, the number of flowering necklaces will be difficult to count.

Watering. Wisteria needs to be watered regularly so that the soil is slightly moist but dries out in the top layer. In dry weather, 1-2 buckets of water are poured weekly under each bush. It is recommended to periodically spray the shoots. During flowering and active growth, irrigation should be more abundant. From the end of summer, watering is gradually reduced and the plant is prepared for wintering.

Fertilizer. In early spring, wisteria is fed with compositions with a high nitrogen content. Somewhat later, mullein infusion or compost is added. To prevent the soil from becoming acidic, it is recommended to periodically fertilize the wisteria with chalky water.

Crown formation. The plant needs a garter and the direction of all young shoots. Liana is quickly gaining weight, so the support for her must be reliable and stable. There are 2 main ways to form a crown:

• Standard - the formation of a kind of tree. The central, strongest shoot is left, cutting off the lateral processes at the base. At the required height, several skeletal branches are formed. The same form is practiced in miniature, creating bonsai from wisteria.
• Climbing - lateral processes are removed along the entire length of the vine to get a single long lash, curled in the right direction.

For more abundant flowering vines are pruned twice a year. The first manipulation is planned at the end of flowering. All lateral processes are cut to 2/3. After the leaves fall, in November, some of the old and young side branches are removed. Flower buds are formed on short shoots of the current year. It is also recommended to trim wilted inflorescences.

Wintering. One-year-old plants in open ground are recommended to be removed from the trellis and laid on the ground on top of several boards. From above, the plant is covered with fallen leaves and spruce branches. Most varieties do not tolerate frost well, the tips of the branches often freeze slightly. Only wisteria "blue moon" can be grown in central Russia. But even its stem base is covered with lutrasil and fallen leaves.

Wisteria in landscape design

A large, fast-growing vine requires ample space, so a single plant will suffice in a small garden. It is planted near the walls of the house, along the fence, near the gazebo or pergola. With the help of a green cover, ugly buildings can be masked. Wisteria not only creates an excellent green wall, but also dissolves a huge number of bright inflorescences.

Arches and corridors made of wisteria look impressive on a large territory. Moreover, you can use several plants of the same variety or combine varieties with different colors of inflorescences. Then you get an amazingly beautiful rainbow.

Hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and wolfberries are often planted at the base of the vine. To please yourself with a heat-loving variety, you can plant wisteria in a tub. In the summer, it is taken out into the garden, and in winter it is removed to a bright, but cool (+10 ... + 12 ° C) room.

Flower growers have long paid attention to the inconspicuous in appearance, but in an oriental way elegant and attractive, a bit like European lilac Chinese wisteria. Growing in nature in Japan and in the mountains of central and western China at an altitude of up to 1800 meters, it might have remained unknown to the world if not for the English physician and botanist John Sims (1749 - 1831), who spoke about it on July 2, 1819 of the year in the 46th issue of Botanica Magazine. Since then, many varieties and hybrids of this plant have been bred, notable for the fact that even in natural habitat it has a decorative appearance due to the large number of fragrant blue-lilac flowers.

Wisteria came to Russia and other post-Soviet countries relatively recently and at first took root only in the southern regions, but in recent times the area of ​​its artificial distribution is increasingly expanding towards the north and east.

Brief description of the plant

At its core, Chinese wisteria is one of nine species of the genus Wisteria, or Wisteria, is a woody deciduous vine that can reach a height of up to 20 meters (there is even evidence that some specimens have a height of 25 meters). And although creepers are most often associated with the tropics, the landscape of which they give a characteristic feature, they can also be found in temperate European and Asian climates. Chinese wisteria is a vivid example of this: it is used with pleasure in different countries for landscape gardening as a systematically pruned standard tree. In addition, sometimes it can be seen in the apartment as a bonsai plant.

Chinese wisteria has the following characteristics:

1. dense leafiness of stems twisted counterclockwise.
2. alternate large leaves, divided into 7-13 narrow-ovate leaflets with a rounded or slightly wedge-shaped base. The peculiarity of the leaves is pubescence at a young age and smoothness acquired in the process of "growing up".
3. fragrant small flowers collected in cascading racemose loose inflorescences up to 30 cm long. Blue or light lilac in spring and summer, turning golden yellow in autumn. By smell, wisteria flowers are similar to lilacs, but more delicate, with a subtle hint of the smell of acacia flowers.
4. corolla so-called. "butterfly type", having a blue-violet, occasionally white color.
5. white-pubescent, five-toothed and bell-shaped calyx.
6. nine stamens fused and one, the upper one, is free.
7. a pistil curved upwards and a pubescent ovary with six to eight ovules.

In horticulture, two forms of this plant have been bred - garden, which has a white color of flowers, and terry, which is distinguished by characteristic flowers.

How to drop her

Chinese wisteria is one of the most beautiful tree-like vines, which looks especially spectacular during flowering, not least due to the fact that the flowers appear on it before the leaves. It is equally attractive in a single form on the lawn, and as a drapery for the bare walls of a building. However, like most "newcomers" from other climatic zones plants, wisteria requires some care and attention, and it needs to be given to it from the very day you decide to plant it under your windows.

The unequivocal advantages of wisteria include the ability to tolerate the conditions of a modern city, but at the same time it is very warm and photophilous and demanding on the soil. At home, it is best grown in a tub on the windowsill on the south side of the house, capable of providing the maximum amount of light and heat. If you plant it in the garden, then you should not only choose the sunniest place, but also take care of the soil, which should be moist, drained, fertile and slightly alkaline. Lime soil is highly undesirable - its presence is fraught with possible chlorosis (lightening of the leaves). All this will eventually affect flowering, so the choice of location should be taken as seriously as possible, given that this plant is a perennial, forming over time a deep root and tenacious strong climbing shoots.

The best time to plant wisteria is in spring, when not only the last frosts have passed, but the risk of returning cold weather has disappeared. Although all varieties are considered cold-resistant and even able to withstand short-term temperature drops to -20 (and some hybrids, according to gardeners, can survive at -35), however, it is not necessary to put the seedlings at risk of frostbite before they enter growth. If you are planting wisteria for the first time, then it is best to choose not very small seedlings with closed roots. When buying, make sure that it is grafted: the tree liana is already among the long-growing plants, and if ungrafted, it will begin to bloom not only later than usual, but also in a less lush color than it is characteristic of it. It is also necessary to clarify the age of the seedling: the older it is, the more likely it is to bloom in the near future, since a number of varieties begin to bloom even at 8-9 years old.

In general, having decided to decorate your garden or apartment with this unusual plant, be patient: in the first years, the wisteria “does” only forms stems, and the first color appears only after 3-4 years. It usually begins to bloom in April, comes into full force in May and blooms until June, when good care capable of blooming in the second half of summer, but already weaker.

Wisteria is planted in pits 60x60x50 cm in size fertilized with mineral fertilizers. Fertilizers are applied at the rate of 25-30 gr. per 1 sq. meter. It is also permissible to sow seeds in the ground - a plant planted in this way, under favorable conditions, grows hardy and adapted to its habitat. You can also grow wisteria at home from seeds and then transplant into open soil. They usually start doing this in late November - early December according to the following scheme:

1. sow seeds in a container on the surface of a drained substrate, consisting of 4 parts of leafy soil, 1 part of sod and 1 part of sand.
2. covered with a small layer of sand.
3. sprayed with water from a spray bottle.
4. cover with glass or a transparent film and put in a dark warm place with a temperature of + 22-25 degrees. The soil must always be kept slightly moist.

After about a month and a half, when the wisteria not only sprouts, but also begins to slowly grow stronger, it is transferred to a sunny place, but at first - before two leaves appear on it - they must be shaded. When the leaves appear, the seedlings dive into separate boxes with their own root earthen clod and watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then they begin to accustom them to the future habitat, taking them out for a couple of hours a day to an unheated part of the house or placing them under an ajar window, taking care of so that there is no draft.

If you want to grow it in a flowerpot or tub, then you need to do the following:

1. in the fall, bring the plant into a room with a temperature of + 8-10, a humidity of 65-75% and bright lighting.
2. organize economical winter watering.
3. in March, cut the side branches to 2-3 pronounced buds (this is how the crown will form).
4. in the summer, take it outside and provide abundant watering.

However, one should be prepared for the fact that even seedlings sprouted from seeds may not bloom. Not a single flower grower knows the answer to the question of why this happens, therefore, there are still discussions among them on the topic of whether the seed method of growing and propagating wisteria is reliable or not. Everyone will have their own arguments “for” and “against”, which will be based on personal experience, but the difficulty is that this is an individual case. What happened to one does not mean at all what will work for you, and the reasons for this may be not only in climatic conditions. The only advice that can be given is: try, if you fail, do not get upset and try again, but in a different way. For example, some flower growers, sharing their experience of growing wisteria, tell how a plant that did not show any signs of life, which had yellow leaves, they managed to revive in one week by pouring sour milk under it and adding water from above.

In addition to planting seedlings and germinating seeds, there are two more ways to propagate woody vines - layering and cuttings. Reproduction by layering is considered the easiest. Its essence is as follows:

1. in the spring, an annual shoot is chosen.
2. cut obliquely in the middle.
3. tilt and lay with an incision on a pot with a clay-soddy substrate.
4. fix.
5. drop by drop, leaving the top free.

Next spring, it is already possible to separate the layering from the main plant. If it was blooming, then already this year - in May or September - a young wisteria will give a small color.

If you chose cuttings, then you need to do this again in March-April, cutting annual shoots up to 25 cm long into cuttings and rooting them in a substrate of 3 parts of soddy soil, 1 part of peat, 1 - humus and 1 - sand.

How to take care of her

Caring for a tree liana includes by and large just two steps: watering and pruning.

Wisteria should be watered until the end of summer as needed, but not zealously (the plant does not like excess water and does not tolerate it well) and not letting water flow by itself. The soil around it should be moist at all times, but not wet. Abundant watering is necessary only in case of dry spring. Once a season, it is permissible to water the wisteria with a water-chalk solution (100 g of chalk per 1 bucket of water). From April to June (that is, during budding and flowering), it should be fed, alternating between mineral and organic fertilizers. As the latter, an infusion is quite suitable. cow dung in a ratio of 1:20. However, it is necessary to control the concentration of nitrogen in the soil, otherwise wisteria will honestly delight you with lush greenery, but will not bloom.

From mid-September, watering can be gradually reduced, while removing (if necessary) withered inflorescences and dry branches and tying up the shoots, while directing them in the direction you need. Before the cold weather, wisteria needs to be insulated - that is:

1. spud root rosette.
2. remove it from the supports and lay it on the near-stem circle, like climbing roses are laid for the winter.
3. sprinkle with dry leaves and cover with spunbond or lutrasil. You can also use straw for shelter, and in heavy snow - and it as a covering material. However, you shouldn’t really rely on snow: although it is able to cover a tree vine so that it does not freeze, if the winter is not snowy and there is no shelter, then the plant will disappear.

Another option for sheltering young seedlings was born among the people. First use nonwoven fabric(most often - lutrasil), then wrap it with a film, throw dry leaves on top and put a sheet of slate. Some amateur flower growers consider this wintering ideal for middle lane Russia, but they note that everything must be removed in time in the spring, otherwise the plant will suffer from stuffiness.

The second stage of care is pruning. Chinese wisteria is cut at least twice a season in order to give it the desired shape and stimulate flowering, at the same time making it abundant. The first pruning is carried out immediately after flowering - all side shoots are shortened to 1/3 of the initial length (or up to 30 cm). Under this condition, even being at the age of one year, they can give an inflorescence already in the current year. The second pruning is carried out after the leaves fall off - with it, the already pruned shoots and those that appeared after the first pruning are shortened to 3-5 buds. Formative pruning is carried out depending on the form in which - standard or climbing - you want to get wisteria. To create an upright tree, one strong shoot is chosen, the rest are removed, and to form a classic climbing vine, side shoots are cut twice in summer: first by 20-40 cm, and at the end of summer by another 10 cm.

From garden pests wisteria should be wary of aphids, clover mites and spider mite. It is best to deal with aphids with any insecticide, and with ticks - with an acaricidal preparation. According to the reviews of some flower growers, phytoverm has proven itself well. If your wisteria is ill with chlorosis, then it is best to help you fight it with fertilizing the plant with iron salts applied under the root.

Conclusion

Chinese wisteria is as capricious in care as it is beautiful, but if you are not afraid of her whims and cope with them, then as a reward she will give peace to the soul, peace to the heart and beauty to the eyes in the form of an exquisite flowering, which will surely set you up for a dreamy-contemplative - philosophical way. You will have more than enough reasons for such thoughts: despite the fact that wisteria phytoncides suppress the tubercle bacillus, the whole plant contains vistarin poison, which makes it poisonous. Such a truly philosophical duality is reflected even in the name: the Latin “wisteria” comes from the name of the poison in it, and the usual “wisteria” goes back to the Greek “glycos”, which means “sweet”. Simply put, when growing this tree or vine, do not forget that you are dealing with sweet poison ...

Blooming wisteria is a firework of long, bright and colorful fragrant racemes. Her blue, purple, pink and white clusters hang in openwork streams that are impossible not to fall in love with. Even the restrained Japanese adore this vine and gladly decorate their gardens with it.

Wisteria Chinensis, Chinese wisteria, is a densely leafed liana whose shoots reach a height of 20 m. It belongs to the genus of deciduous climbing shrubs of the legume family native to East Asia.

Its inflorescences reach 30 cm, bloom almost at the same time as the foliage blooms and continue to bloom all summer. At the same time, they often bloom again in August.

Growing a plant in a garden is used by many designers and gardeners to vertical gardening estates.

It, with its unsurpassed decorative effect, takes up a minimum of space, but creates an incomparable home comfort. Wisteria (or wisteria - its second name) can perfectly decorate a nondescript wall - it is an excellent garden climber, grows, clinging to any supports and fences. She can drape unsightly parts of the garden, divide the space of the yard with green screens, receiving protection from the sun and wind.

Graceful feathery foliage enhances the decorativeness of the plant, its golden tints effectively enliven autumn garden. If the wisteria is cut correctly, you can form a standard or tree-like upright shape. It perfectly adapts to urban conditions, under cover it can tolerate short-term frosts.

Wisteria floribunda is a profusely flowering wisteria (or many-flowered) native to Japan. It reaches a height of 10 m has large (up to 50 cm) hanging racemose inflorescences with flowers of violet-blue hues. It begins to bloom 15-20 days later than the Chinese, after the leaves bloom. At the same time, her flowers open gradually: descending from the base of the brushes down. Wisteria floribunda blooms until mid-June, with some varieties blooming again from July to August. This type of wisteria is more decorative than Chinese: when flowering ends, large (up to 45 cm in length) leaves act as an excellent decoration. It is also more cold hardy.

There are several of its decorative forms: pink, white, purple terry, large-clustered (inflorescences grow up to 1.5 m), with variegated foliage.

In the USA, a frost-resistant wisteria Blue Moon with blue inflorescences was bred. It tolerates frosts down to -37C without shelter.

Chinese prolific wisteria (Wisteria sinensis prolific) has bluish-purple flowers with a lighter base.

They are collected in long brushes. The prolific variety begins to bloom already from the 2nd or 3rd year after planting, blooms profusely and for a long time in May, under favorable conditions it blooms again in August.

Grows up to 6 m, adding 1-2 m per year. The leaves are complex-pinnate, green, turning yellow in autumn. Shoots twist to the right. It withstands the Polish climate well, but freezes in severe winters.

Wisteria Chinese alba - a shrub with white tassels is considered one of the most prominent representatives of this type of liana. Alba variety grows mainly in China. It reaches a height of 10 m. It blooms simultaneously with the blooming of leaves in April and May.

In the first years of life, all wisterias grow long and thin branches, subsequently they form a dense tree-like trunk, sometimes more than 15 cm in diameter. The height is limited only by the height of the supports along which they weave. Wisteria plants are very durable, they live up to 100 and even 150 years.

Rules and features of growing Chinese wisteria

Planting and care of the vine is not particularly difficult. It is quite resistant to diseases and is rarely attacked by pests, but sometimes suffers from caterpillars, green aphids.

In order for the plant to grow well and bloom magnificently, it is enough to follow simple rules:

• choose a sunny and wind-sheltered location (south-facing walls of the house are best);
• provide the vine with a durable and strong support - it has a large windage, and even young shoots will independently braid around the support, which will lead to problems when removing the vine in the fall for shelter before frost;
• choose light, not very wet, fertile, well-permeable soil (it feels very bad in calcareous soils);
• in a planting hole measuring 60x60x50 cm, it is best to pour a mixture of peat, sand, humus and soddy soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 3
• water moderately, not very often - due to too wet soil, wisteria can drop leaves and buds, it is better to spray it in the heat, and almost stop watering at the end of September - so the plant is better prepared for winter;
• during the period of budding and flowering, apply liquid fertilizers (for this, dilute 10-20 g of fertilizers in a bucket of water and use it per 1 sq. M of area).

Little tricks and secrets of care

Planting wisteria in pots or flowerpots where it develops quite well, followed by regular pruning, forms a bonsai and is great for Japanese gardens.

By pruning it correctly, you can grow a standard tree and transfer it in the fall to a room with a temperature of 8-10 degrees, a humidity of 65-75% and good lighting. Water very little in winter, and in early spring, cut the lateral young shoots to 2-3 strong buds.

In any case, it is better to grow a shrub in the first summer in a container, and already there begin to form its skeleton. Leave the 2-3 strongest shoots and let them grow as much as possible. Tie them up as they grow, otherwise they will stop developing, and their tips will dry out. As a rule, with proper care, wisteria in one season grows to the size to which you will cut it in subsequent years (about 2 m, a larger plant is already problematic to cover).

In anticipation of winter, cover wisteria seedlings, especially young ones. Untie the branches from the support and lay on the ground. Dig in the root part (fill in several buckets of earth), cover the shoots with breathable and dry material - agrofiber or rags, coniferous spruce branches (in the absence of such, you can use carton boxes with holes), dry foliage.

Take Special attention pruning, since the abundance of wisteria flowering depends on its correctness and timeliness. Flower buds are laid on last year's and older wood, as well as on flower shoots of short length that have grown in the current year. In this regard, annually cut strongly (up to a length of 30 cm) last year's branches. And already in August, shorten the shoots of the current year by 4-5 buds. Carry out the next pruning in early spring, after removing the shelter, adjusting the height of the plant, shaping it and removing dry and frozen shoots.

If you decide to propagate wisteria, do it with layering - this is the most effective and easy way. It is possible to grow it from seeds, but with this method, varietal characteristics are transmitted extremely rarely. In addition, the seeds have a fairly low germination rate - about 25%. The resulting seedlings bloom later and not very luxuriantly.

Care and cultivation of wisteria rewards the grower with an amazing sight during flowering - as if raindrops gently pour from the sky, playing with lilac-purple reflections.

A piece of the Japanese park Ashikaga with flowing brushes of inflorescences is quite possible to grow on your own. suburban area in temperate climates, because some varieties of vines are quite frost-resistant.

Blooming wisteria fragrant pleasant aroma throughout the area and, no doubt, creates a romantic mood even for inveterate skeptics.

Except decorative purpose, the plant is also very useful - its foliage has the most valuable antibiotic properties and releases phytoncides into the air that can suppress the development of even a tubercle bacillus.

Having once seen live how wisteria blooms, it is impossible to deny yourself the desire to grow this miracle near your home.

Wisterias are tree-like vines from the legume family native to China, Japan and Korea, some species were introduced and introduced in the eastern United States and grew wild there. In ornamental horticulture, they are grown all over the world, but prefer the humid climate of the subtropics.

Translated from Greek, the name of the plant sounds like "sweet" and is associated with the fragrant smell of flowers. The synonym "Wisteria", repeating the Latin name Wisteria, is associated with the name of the American scientist K. Wistar.

Fast-growing pagons of wisteria can rise up to 20 m and spread up to 10 m in length. The world's largest representative of the genus, planted in 1894 in the Sierra Madre, California, covers an area of ​​​​0.40 hectares and weighs almost 250 tons. The leaves of the plant are pinnate, from 15 to 35 cm long, arranged alternately along the pagons, consist of 9-19 lobules.

The real wealth of the creeper is the lush domed inflorescences-brushes 30-50 cm long, in some varieties they reach 80 cm, drooping down.

The flowers are usually lilac-blue with violet at the base of the petals, but pink or white are also available. Blooms in spring before foliage appears.

The seeds ripen in long, thin pods and are poisonous, containing significant levels of glycerin.

Types and varieties of wisteria with names and photos

According to various sources, the genus Wisteria, or wisteria, includes 9 or 10 species of spectacular flowering plants:

Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) - lignified stems of the plant reach a height of 20-25 m.

Around the support are twisted counterclockwise. Young pagons are pubescent, then the whitish villi disappear.

The leaves are imparipinnate, consist of 7-13 narrowly ovoid fragment lobules. Brushes are formed in the axils of the leaves or on the tops of biennial shoots.

The flowers are small, only 2-2.5 cm long, moth-like, usually blue-violet, but there are also forms with white corollas.

The fruits are densely pubescent beans with 1-3 shiny brownish seeds. Blooms in April-May. Medium frost-resistant plant that can withstand 20-degree frosts.

Extraordinarily decorative varieties:

Wisteria Chinese Blue Sapphire (Blue Sapphire) - with stunningly delicate blue-blue flowers;
Wisteria Chinese Alba (Alba) - a garden form with snow-white flowering;
Chinese Wisteria Prolific (Prolific) - an early-flowering variety with bluish-purple corollas. Dissolves brushes already in the 2nd or 3rd year after planting.

Blooming wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is also known under the synonym of Japanese wisteria.

Pagons grow in length from 9 to 30 m.

The leaves are shiny, pinnately compound, about 10-30 cm long, consist of 9-13 oblong leaflets 2-6 cm in size.

The flower clusters are impressive - with corollas of pink, white, purple or of blue color smell like grapes.

They bloom very early, which is why they freeze slightly in a temperate climate. Velvety brown pods contain 2-3 seeds.

The species has about 20 garden forms and varieties awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society of London. Among them:

Black Dragon (Black Dragon) - with blue-violet flowers unusual shape;
Pink Ice (Pink Ice), Rosea, or Honbeni - with pale pink petals covered with a purple sail;
Issai Perfect - with light lavender flowers;

• Macrobotrys or Longissima - with reddish-purple flower racemes 1 m long or longer;
• Praecox or Domino - with purple flowers.

Shrub wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) - among flower growers is called American wisteria.

It differs from its Asian relatives in shorter brushes (only 5-15 cm) of blue-purple two-faced flowers no larger than 2 cm in size, which do not have aroma.

The crown consists of shiny dark green, pinnately compound leaves 10-30 cm long, which have 9-15 oblong leaflets.

The seeds are large and brown and ripen in smooth pods.

Wisteria macrostachya (Wisteria macrostachya) is a former form of shrubby wisteria, found in the southeastern part of the USA - the state of Kentucky, which was later defined as an independent species.

Differs in larger inflorescences.

In temperate climates, the frost-resistant variety Blue Moon Wisteria, or Blue Moon Wisteria, with graceful lavender-blue tassels, shining with a silvery sheen at dusk, is popular.

Where and how to plant wisteria

Choosing a location for wisteria is considered a very important factor in growing vines.

This is not a plant that you can plant and forget about it. It should be in front of your eyes in order to control its development in time, because powerful pagons can destroy the support and harm the neighboring garden flora.

The soil for wisteria needs to be fertile and moist, and it is advisable to choose a place in a sunny corner of the garden plot, which would be illuminated with bright rays for at least 6 hours a day.

The plant looks very good in front of the entrance to the terrace or next to the porch leading to the house, near the pergola or gazebo.

However, it must be remembered that the horizontal ceilings for the supports supporting the creeper pagons must be made of durable material.

Wisteria shoots look spectacular, draping bare wall without windows, but here there is a caveat - with age, heavy lignified shoots can damage drainpipes, and they use any crack in the wall to develop and spread upwards.

Planting wisteria is carried out on well-drained soil, through which water easily seeps.

The right time is spring or autumn.

A hole is dug with a depth commensurate with the root ball, but about 2-3 times wider.

The distance between the supports for the vine should be 3-4.5 m.

The soil selected from the pit is mixed with compost and a little mineral fertilizer with a low nitrogen content is added.

root system the plants are placed in the center of the hole so that the base of the stem is flush with the ground or slightly higher - the ground will settle and the seedling will not deepen too much.

Care rules

Caring for wisteria consists in the necessary moistening and loosening of the near-stem space, top dressing, as well as timely pruning.

Watering and fertilizing

It is necessary to water the plant when the earth around the root neck dries out deeper than 3-5 cm. Wisteria loves moisture, but stagnant water near the root system is undesirable.

Wisteria is fed several times during the growing season, but nitrogen is not included in the top dressing - this is not necessary.

Like all legumes, the plant accumulates nitrogen from the air with nodule bacteria, and excess nitrogen will result in a lack of flowering.

In the spring, compost is added under the plant and the near-stem circle is covered with a 5 cm thick layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weed growth.

Some gardeners fertilize the soil around the plant with bone meal in the spring and a small amount of phosphate in the fall to promote more active flowering.

The need for pruning wisteria

The secret to good flowering vines lies in pruning, as the buds of the plant are formed on new growths of the current year.

The first pruning is done at the end of winter - up to half the length of last year's shoots is removed, leaving only a few buds on them.

If there is a need to create a more compact crown, then cut off in the summer after the end of flowering.

Too intensively growing unbridled shoots are sheared every two weeks until the end of summer.

Pruning wisteria in the fall is not done.

Some gardeners practice removing the lower pagons by anchoring the main stem to form the crown of the wisteria tree.

This method of growing has its advantages - you do not have to spend money on the construction of a structure that acts as a reliable support for heavy pagons.

Preparing for winter

Adult specimens do not need shelter for the winter, and this is problematic for plants that already have significant dimensions.

In temperate latitudes, they try to use frost-resistant wisteria to decorate parks and private households.

However, young seedlings are more affected by temperature drops than mature plants of the same species or variety.

That is why in the first years of life, if possible, their pagons are removed from supports, laid on the ground and covered with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

In the spring, they do not delay in order to remove the shelter, otherwise the wisteria will swell.

Wisteria breeding

Liana is propagated by layering in spring and summer, cuttings and seeds - only in spring.

Experienced specialists in nurseries grow the plant by grafting.

Wisteria from seed

Planting material is sown in greenhouses in late November or early December, or sown directly in open ground in early spring, in March.

The soil mixture for crops is made up of 4 parts of leafy soil and take 1 part of soddy soil and sand.

The seeds are laid out on the surface of the substrate, sprinkled with sand, watered, covered with a film or glass on top and placed in a completely dark place with a constant temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius.

The first shoots hatch after 20-30 days.

After one or a week and a half, containers with crops are put on a lighted place, but at first they are shaded from the sun's rays.

When 2 true leaves are formed, the seedlings dive along with a clod of earth to the beds for growing.

They are securely covered for the winter, transplanted to a permanent place not earlier than next spring, or even after another season.

Wisteria grown from seeds do not bloom soon, the longest time during which you have to wait for spectacular flowering is about 15 years, so it is advisable to purchase wisteria seedlings that are grown by vegetative methods.

Wisteria cuttings

The cuttings will fit the remaining after the early spring pruning fragments of annual pagons 15-20 cm long.

For rooting, a substrate is prepared, consisting of 3 parts of soddy soil and taken 1 part of sand, humus and peat soil.

Leaves are removed from the bottom of the cutting, 2-3 pieces are left at the top.

The lowest node from the removed sheets should be at a height of 8-12 mm from a cut made at an angle of 45 degrees.

A hole 5 cm deep is made in the soil mixture and a cutting is placed there, tamping the ground around.

Top cover it with a plastic bag, cut plastic bottle or glass jar and put in a bright place.

Regularly monitor that the soil mixture does not dry out.

Root formation occurs within 4-8 weeks. Creepers grown by cuttings can delight with beautiful fragrant inflorescences as early as 4-5 years after planting.

Propagation of wisteria by layering

A strong annual shoot is chosen as a layering in the spring and a small oblique incision is made in the middle of its length.

A pot is placed under this place with fertile clay-soddy soil, the shoot is fixed in it with a wire bracket and sprinkled with soil. The top of the pagon is lifted up and tied to a support.

They are regularly moistened throughout the summer, and in the last days of August, a seedling with a fairly well-formed root system is cut off from the mother liana and planted in a permanent place of growth.

It also blooms much earlier than wisteria grown from seeds.

Diseases and pests

Among the pests that plague wisteria are aphids, leafworms, mealybugs, and Japanese beetles.

And if it is not so difficult to fight many of them, then the latter are a real disaster for the vine.

Their scientific name is Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), and they are dangerous because they gnaw passages in lignified pagons of vines that disrupt the supply of water and nutrients to the plant.

The plant is affected by fungal infections caused by the fungi Aplosporella wistariae and Phomatospora wistariae.

It is also susceptible to root rot caused by the fungus Phymatotrichum omnivorum, as a result of the disease, the vine withers and dies.

Phomlosticta wisteriae and Septoria wisteriae were found among other pathogenic organisms.

The soil bacterium Rhizobium radobacter causes abnormal growths or tumors on roots or stems.

Creepers of the genus Wisteria infect two viruses - wisteria mosaics (a variant of the tobacco mosaic virus) and underground clover mosaics.

FAQ

Gardeners are often worried about the problem - why doesn't wisteria bloom? The most common causes and suggested solutions are:

1. Seedlings grown from seeds may not bloom for more than 10 years. To wait before flowering, you should buy rooted cuttings or grafted plants.
2. It will take a long time to wait for the formation of inflorescences after a hard rejuvenating pruning of the old vine.
3. Overfed with nitrogen, wisteria will bloom either very poorly, or not form buds at all. If it is necessary to feed the plants grown in the near-stem circle of the vine, it is more desirable to do this after the wisteria has faded.
4. Do not forget that the liana loves the sun very much, in the shade or partial shade it will also be difficult to wait for flowering.

The best partners of wisteria in garden design

At the foot of the wisteria, snow-white tulips and daffodils, dark purple hyacinths, and yellow daffodils look perfect. and other equally beautiful flowers.