Wisteria , also called m alt or wisteria, is a twisting climber with woody stems. Its magnificent inflorescences - white, blue, purple or pink flowers with a butterfly shape, gathered in elegant, oblong, hanging clusters arouse great admiration. However, it sometimes happens thatwisteria does not bloomor causes other problems in the cultivation. What to do then, how to proceed with wisteria so that it blooms wonderfully and luxuriantly and grows he althily?
Wisteria growing in the Oliwa Park in Gdańsk. It copes well in our climate and tolerates urban air pollution well.
Wisteriais an exceptionally long-lived climber (it can live up to 100 years). You can admire the beautiful flowering of wisteria from late spring to early summer. Its pendulous, oblong inflorescences can sometimes reach over half a meter in length. The flowers often smell nice too. After flowering, they transform into magnificent pods.In the remaining periods of the growing season, we will have to admire the lush foliage of wisteria, which the plant sheds for the winter. Wisteria leaves are pinnate, consisting of several to a dozen leaflets.
Growing and cutting wisteria
The basic problem inwisteria cultivationin our climate is insufficient frost resistance of these plants. Therefore, only the inhabitants of warmer regions of Poland can decide to cultivate. I myself live in Gdańsk, where I have been admiring the wisteria blooming in the Oliwa Park for years. Here, this plant is doing very well. In the south and east of Poland,wisteriacan freeze, especially in harsh winters.
Underwisteria cultivationchoose a sunny and secluded position (sheltered from winds). Preferably near the south or west wall of the building. The eastern side will not be very good, as the morning rays of the sun will increase the sensitivity of the buds to frosts. It is the freezing of flower buds that is the most common reasonwhy wisteria does not bloom
The soil in which we plant wisteria should be fertile, permeable and moist, with a pH close to neutral (pH 6 -7). Leaf chlorosis occurs quickly on too alkaline soils. In spring, plants should be supplemented with a potassium-rich fertilizer, bearing in mind, however, that too much fertilization causes excessive development of foliage at the expense of flowers. Especially if we use excessive doses of nitrogen. This may be the second reasonwhy wisteria will not hit
Growing wisteriaalso requires the use of sufficiently durable supports for the climbers, because older plants can be very heavy.Properwisteria cuttingIn the first years of cultivation on plant formation to form the main trunk and horizontal side branches is also necessary for adequate growth and flowering promotion. Later, the longest shoots, which are not needed as guides, are cut to 5-6 buds, and side shoots to 2-3 buds, which will stimulate flowering.
Young wisteria twigs should be tied to the supports, but not too tightly. You can also try to bring the wisteria into a free-standing form, resembling a tree. This, however, takes a lot of patience. Such a specimen should be supported for about 20 years, and only after this period the supports are removed.
Wisteria can grow to considerable size after many years, and its heavy, thick, woody shoots will require strong supports. Let's take this into account when choosing a site for wisteria in our garden.
Wisteria - species, varieties, seedling selection
The basic issue when buying wisteria for our garden is the purchase of a seedling propagated by grafting, layering or cuttings. If we want fast flowering, we should not decide on a plant propagated from seeds, because such specimens sometimes bloom only after several years of cultivation. If, however, we already have wisteria in the garden that does not bloom for years, do not remove it. Be patient - perhaps she has not yet reached the required age and will soon surprise us with her beautiful flowers. Too young age of the plant, especially if the seedling was formed by sowing seeds, is another common reasonwhy wisteria does not bloom
Two species of wisteria are cultivated in our country -flower wisteria(Wisteria floribunda) andChinese wisteria(Wisteria sinensis).
Flower wisteriacomes from Japan and can grow up to 9-10 m tall, with annual increments of 1-3 m.It is distinguished by magnificent, long inflorescences, which can reach up to 60 cm in length. Depending on the variety, they can be white with a lilac shade (variety 'Alba'), lilac-blue (variety 'Burford'), purple (variety 'Multijuga' and 'Violacea Plena') or pure white (variety 'Snow Showers') 'and Shiro-noda').
Chinese wisteriacomes from China and can grow a bit higher, sometimes even up to 15 m. Its flower clusters, however, are much shorter, usually 15 - 30 cm long. : 'Alba' with white flowers, 'Caroline' with blue-violet flowers and 'Prolific' with blue-lilac flowers.
In our climate, thevarieties of flower wisteriaperform a bit better, usually characterized by better frost resistance. Among the varieties of flower wisteria I want to pay special attention to one more variety, not mentioned above, namelywisteria 'Ludwik Lawin '. It is a variety selected in our country in the 1960s.by Ludwik Lawin, and then multiplied in the nursery of Szczepan Marczyński. It was not until 2012 that it was officially named 'Ludwik Lawin' in honor of its creator. It has light blue-violet, fragrant flowers gathered in inflorescences 25-40 cm long. Flowering begins quite quickly, within 3-4 years after planting. It grows vigorously, in increments of 2-3, until it is finally about 10 m tall. Although well proven in the Polish climate, it can freeze in very harsh winters. It is especially recommended for large gardens.
