Wisteria or Wisteria is a large tree-like liana in the Legume family. It can be called a real blooming miracle, since several times a year the plant is abundantly covered with colorful garlands of delicate flowers, similar to jets of colorful rain with a pleasant sweetish aroma. Enchanting wisteria is planted in parks and gardens. She makes a lasting impression on any passerby. The habitat of wisteria affects the humid subtropical forests of China and Japan; it grows well in the Black Sea region and in the south of Russia. Breeders managed to breed several frost-resistant varieties suitable for temperate climates.
Plant description
Wisteria is a perennial deciduous vine. It forks from the very foundation and after a year the shoots become more durable, woody. They are covered with a 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 bark of olive color.
On young shoots, large petiolate foliage of an unpaired shape blooms. The length of one leaf reaches 30 cm. It contains 7-13 oval-shaped segments with solid edges and a pointed end. Dark green leaves immediately after emergence are covered with a short pile, but gradually become smooth.
Large inflorescences of some species appear in early spring, before the leaves bloom. Others bloom after the appearance of foliage. Under favorable conditions, wisteria blooms up to three times a year. Long drooping peduncles are dotted with small flowers in the shape 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. White, pink and yellow wisteria are also found.
The plant is pollinated by insects, after which long flat beans of an ashy 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 genus Wisteria, but only 3 of them are especially popular in landscape design. Thanks to the work of breeders, varieties appeared with a varied color of petals, as well as resistant to frost.
Chinese Wisteria. A woody liana, climbing the support, braids it counterclockwise. The height of the vine reaches 15-20 m. It is covered with regular unpaired leaves with 7-13 segments. In the spring, before the leaves bloom, drooping racemose inflorescences up to 30 cm long appear. Light purple flowers exude a pleasant intense aroma. The species loves heat and can withstand only short-term cooling 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 and lilac hue;
- Sierra Madre - blooms in late March with lavender-purple tassels;
- Blue Sapphire - 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.
Wisteria is lush. The plant lives in North America. Its height is 10-15 m. The growth is less aggressive. A distinctive feature is frost resistance up to -35 ... -40 ° C. 7–9 segments of dark green color grow on the petiole. The length of the brush is 20-30 cm. Varieties:
- Blue moon ("Blue Moon") - frost-resistant variety awakens a little later and blooms with blue-purple tassels with a delicate aroma;
- Clara Mac is a less winter-hardy plant with snow-white tassels up to 35 cm in length.
Wisteria is multiflorous (plentifully flowering). Liana with lignified shoots grows in length to 7-10 m. On a vertical support, she climbs in the direction of clockwise movement. Young stems are covered with large (about 40 cm) dark green leaves of an unpaired shape. On the petiole there are up to 19 leaf blades. Inflorescences on the liana bloom much larger. The length of the brush can reach 50-60 cm. Due to the flowers and inflorescences located close to each other on the vine, the impression of a continuous flowering and fragrant canopy is created. The buds open from the base of the peduncle; they are painted in light purple or blue. The flowering period begins in May.
Propagation Features
Wisteria is propagated by cuttings, air layering, vaccinations and seeds. For seed propagation, it is necessary to prepare pots with sand, sheet and turf soil. Large seeds are evenly distributed on the surface and buried by 1 cm. The soil is watered and covered with a film. The pot is kept at a temperature of + 25 ° C. Seeds germinate after 3-4 weeks. Germination is about 25%. Sprouts need to provide bright diffused light. The film can be removed. With the advent of two real leaves, seedlings are transplanted into separate small pots with a lump of earth, so as not to damage the rhizome. For several hours a day they are quenched in a cool room. Next spring, seedlings can be identified for a permanent place in the garden. Unfortunately, this method is not very effective. Flowering occurs after 5-10 years, and varietal traits are not transmitted to offspring.
The easiest way for a conventional gardener to reproduce is the air lay method. For him, in the early spring, they make an oblique cut on an annual shoot. The stem is tilted and immersed in a container with earth. The top should remain free. After 1-3 months, up to half of these shoots take root. To increase rooting, a slice is treated with a root preparation. By August, layering will be quite strong, but the department will produce in the coming spring.
In late autumn, after falling leaves, one-year-old cuttings are harvested. Each should contain 2-3 internodes. The branches are connected in a small bundle and placed in a pot with moist soil. In early spring, cuttings are removed from the storehouse and planted in a cold greenhouse or immediately in open ground. Each twig is covered with a plastic cap. When the stem is rooted and the buds open, the cap is removed.
The vaccination method is only suitable for experienced gardeners. Vaccination of varietal plants 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 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 most of the day direct sunlight falls. With a lack of sun, flowering and development are reduced.
Planting a creeper is best done in late March, when the snow has completely melted and the ground warms up. Short-term frosts for all types of wisteria are not terrible, but it is better to wait until they pass. Planting soil should be nutritious and well-drained. Wisteria prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soils. For each seedling, a landing pit is prepared up to a depth of 60 cm. Mineral top dressing is previously introduced into the ground.
After planting, the plants are watered well. You need to be prepared for the fact that the first year of wisteria adapts for a long time and grows slowly. Only after 2-3 years will the long thin shoots 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 should be watered regularly so that the soil is slightly moist, but dries in the upper 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 plentiful. Since the end of summer, watering is gradually reducing and preparing the plant for wintering.
Fertilizer. In early spring, wisteria is fed with compositions with a high nitrogen content. A little later make infusion of mullein or compost. So that the soil does not acidify, it is recommended to periodically fertilize the wisteria with chalk water.
Crown formation. The plant needs garter and the direction of all young shoots. Liana is rapidly gaining mass, so the support for her must be reliable and stable. There are 2 main ways of forming a crown:
- Stamp - the formation of a kind of tree. The central, most powerful 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.
- Scratchy - along the entire length of the vine, the lateral processes are removed to get a single long whip curled in the right direction.
For more abundant flowering, liana pruning is carried out twice a year. The first manipulation is planned at the end of flowering. All lateral processes are cut off by 2/3. After the leaves fall, in November, part of the old and young lateral branches are removed. Flower buds are formed on short processes of the current year. It is also recommended to prune 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 of frosts do not tolerate well, often the tips of branches freeze. Only the Blue Moon Wisteria can be grown in central Russia. But even its base of the stem is covered with lutrasil and fallen leaves.
Diseases and pests. With poor soil quality, wisteria can suffer from chlorosis. The disease is prevented by fertilizing with iron salts. Sometimes on the leaves cicadas, caterpillars, clover mites or aphids settle. At the first sign of parasites, the plant is sprayed with an insecticide.
Wisteria in landscaping
A large fast-growing vine requires enough space, so in a small garden a single plant is quite enough. It is planted near the walls of the house, along the fence, near the arbor or pergola. With the help of green cover, you can mask ugly buildings. Wisteria not only creates an excellent green wall, but also dissolves a huge number of bright inflorescences.
Over a large area, arches and corridors from wisteria look spectacular. Moreover, you can use several plants of the same variety or combine varieties with different colors of inflorescences. Then you get a surprisingly beautiful rainbow.
Hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, and daphne are often planted at the base of the vine. To please yourself with a thermophilic variety, you can plant a wisteria in a tub. In the summer it is taken out to the garden, and in winter it is cleaned in a bright but cool (+ 10 ... + 12 ° C) room.
