A Guide to Wisterias: How to Plant, Prune, and Care for One
What Is a Wisteria? Wisterias are one of the most spectacular spring-blooming perennials and are actually very large woody vines. They are a genus—with about ten species—of flowering plants in the pea family. Some species are native to the United States—including the American and Kentucky—but the two most popular wisterias are the Chinese and Japanese varieties. The Chinese wisteria was brought to the United States for horticultural purposes in 1816, while the Japanese wisteria was introduced around 1830. With their abundance of foot-long panicles of flowers—most commonly in lilac blue—they are traffic stoppers. I once had an elderly woman with a carload of grandchildren stop in front of my house and ask if they could smell my wisteria. The beauty of these plants in full bloom has been immortalized in Tiffany stained glass, which often depicts irises blooming in the foreground—a nice combination in the garden. Plan for your wisteria to be around for a very long tim...