Chinese Wisteria Revisited

Hi everyone, I haven't been frequenting MSG often. Life happens and I've been away, but the love of gardening remains same. Remember the once beautiful blooms of this Wisteria? If not, here it was in 2011. We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/830549/

To make a long story short. After the last posting. The backyard was gradually shaded over by large tree. The wisteria ceased to bloom. So in 2011 DH and I decided to move the large half-whiskey barrel that housed the plant to a sunnier location.

After 2 years of adjustment to the new location, the Wisteria finally rebloom.

1 & 2 : 1st was the old location where the wisteria was moment after DH loaded it up on the hand truck and moved it to our front yard as seen here. That was 2 years ago.
3. The newly re-located Wisteria that very day 4/3/2011.
4 & 5 Are the latest pics. taken 2 days ago. By golly it's in full bloom once again.

So the story ends. Just kidding, I shall return and post more pics. to share as the rain goes away. And hopefully I'll be outdoor this coming weekend and enjoy the sunny weather as I will take photos and share with you. So please stay tuned.

Kim thanks for sharing the photos of your wisteria!! I love wisteria and wish I had room and enough sun in my yard for it!! Hope all is well with you!

Thanks Charlotte for the well wishes. Hope things are going well there for you and family. Wisteria although beautiful, they're tough plants to keep under control. Because of that, container culture is so much needed. I keep this "tree wisteria" in bound, so I can destroy seeds that could potential stray and spread all over the place.

The "tree" is at its peak blooming time.

It is BEAUTIFUL!

Kim I went to Lowe's today and they had several large Chinese Wisteria. One was covered in buds. I talked myself out of it although I did buy some other things. Then as I was leaving the parking lot I stopped and looked up your thread to make sure it was the same wisteria and ended up turning around and going back and getting it!! It was $30 and I decided I would get more than that amount of pleasure even if it only lasted a year or so!!! It's a memory thing! I have a pot in the sun in my front yard I'm going to put it in. I'm going to take out what is in the pot now. This is not a very clear picture but you can see all the buds.

Charlotte, here is to your little wisteria. I'm with you on the memory thing... I remember I purchased mine a little over 10 years ago. It was about that size. I too got it from one of the box stores back then.

I believe, I planted that small vine into the ground. A couple years later I moved it when we moved to a different house/garden. When I noticed the little thing was putting out under ground roots (and the roots were spreading far and wide). I finally dug it up and potted it back then. In brief, leaving the vine in a small pot. It will restrict its growth, but one can control its invasiveness. The 'trunk' will not enlarge over the years however. Here is one example. I've trained two of these in pots for years...over 6-7 years now. I loss one due to improper pruning, and watering. This one survived, and just marginally grew over so many years. This is one of the Asian wisteria. Japanese wisteria. Its blooms are more like the American wisteria which is purple. But the inflorescents are bit longer than its counter part. Look at the two. See how the left one stays small and compact. The right one's trunk has thicken over the years and "became" a tree-like wisteria. Happy gardening.

1. The Japanese wisteria in a bonsai training pot.
2. The Chinese wisteria today.

More of the two mentioned wisterias today.

Your large wisteria is absolutely gorgeous!!! I'm going to put mine in a concrete pot that is a little larger than the pot it is in now. I think I will keep it staked with a bamboo pole to keep it growing upright in a tree form.

Oh yeah - I love your images Kim. I had imagined having wisteria in tree form, but haven't had the right opportunity. I stopped several weeks back to take some photos at roadside in Raleigh, NC.

Not sure which flavor this is - maybe you ladies can ID it for me, but needless to say, it's the invasive choke everything in its path. But breathtaking. Simply.

Hi Charlotte and Amanda & all who visit the thread. Charlotte, have fun with your wisteria. Be sure to give your 'tree' a large container to promote the trunk growth. The trunk will thicken faster that way, I think. Amanda, those you took picture of are lovely, and have characteristic of Japanese wisteria. They're growing wild here too in our zone.

Kim mine is in a fairly good size concrete pot. It seems healthy. Its putting out a lot of new growth. Should I trim it some now?? When is the latest I can trim it?

Charlotte, I apologize for a delay answer. I avoid pruning wisteria during the growing season for the reason pruning it would stimulate new growth. I'd wait until winter to prune 'em. I think I've given out tips how to prune these plants on earlier threads.

I think I remember the earlier threads. Will go back and do some reading. Thanks!

Charlotte, hubby-- despite my request to avoid pruning wisterias during the summer. He just couldn't stand the unruly look of the trees and shrubs around the garden. So, as we worked out in the yard yesterday he pruned the them when I was busy else where in the backyard LOL, I discovered hubby's 'handy work' this morning when I was outside during my morning walk.

My plan is to eliminate all the seedpods from these wisterias before they become ripe. The seeds could be a problem for our neighboring area in the long run, in which I try to avoid.

This message was edited Jun 2, 2013 7:36 AM

I may have to cut a little off mine too before the summer is over. It's really growing.

Kim, glad to see you again. It has been a long time since we connected.

Lots of things happened to me and I no longer have a wisteria. It is great to see yours blooming.

:)

Hi Clem....haven't been in touch for a while. Hope there are some good things happening!

Hi Clem, it has been a while since we connected. Your children were heading off to college then... Amanda it's good to see you too.

I love your avatars LL.

I realized when Clem said a lot had happened happened and no longer had wisteria that she must have been hit by hurricane Sandy where she lives. So I went to Facebook and in fact she was hit pretty hard.

Hope the house is coming along, dearie.

xox

Oh my goodness, I've had no idea that my friend was affected by Sandy hurricane. Clematine, ; -) Do let me know if there is any plant I can mail to you to rebuild your garden. My thought is with you and family. Amanda, thanks for sharing the news. Best of lucks with your pursuit for higher ed. (I learned of this from your other posting), best wishes. Wishes you wouldn't have to move so far up North though.

Hey Sis!! Yes you could say that Clem got her butt kicked big time by Hurricane Sandy. She had sold her house in Garden City that really didn't get any damage on 1/15/13 and be out but what she calls her Canal Place received MEGA damage and she had to gut the inside and re-do everything so now she has a totally new place and totally new yard.

(((((Jeri)))))))) It's so good to see you too. Thanks for sharing the news. Good grief, so much has taken place since we were together way back then.... Natural disaster can happen anywhere, anytime! Sigh!!! I've thought about building a new home with a shelter basement somewhere... I'm frightened with nature's wrath. I really am.

Kim!!!! It has been a while!!! I follow Jim around on FB. Yall stay busy!!! The area where you live is prone to tornados? I didn't realize that. I thought you had a basement g/h. That won't work?

The basement doesn't seem to be stout enough for tornados, I don't think. We need an underground structure with thick cement/rock wall to meet new building code for natural disaster I think.

Yall get tornados?

Thanks Jeri, you said it all for me.

Things happen for a reason and I say I am blessed to have a home. Plants can be replaced and it seems like I am doing a good job. About the wisteria, which is all about this thread, I can say I will probably never have one again. :(

Love u guys!

Love you Clem. Indeed we're very blessed each and everyday... Jeri, yes. Besides "Jr's nation" We're also named "tornados nation" down here. The last storm that went through the area, we thought all was well until we drove down the road about a mile from us--several hundreds yards of the forest was leveled. Were there any home in the vicinity it would have been gone as well. Sigh!

On a lighter node, some of the newer built homes are made with storm-shelters. I'm glad of that.

I never realized that Kim!!! We would have a problem here. We don't even have basements b/c our water table is so high. You dig a hole very deep and it fills up with water.

Back to the subject of wisteria...mine has come back again after almost 30 years of Jim being mean to it. He said that it is half way down our road now and I have a morning glory that has made it around all 4 sides of my house.

Yes sis. The wisteria could be a pest if not being kept under control. Just look at this one, though, it's a Japanese variety (not chinese). In a small pot, it's bearing half a dozen seedpods. That can translate to 5 - 10 folds of seedlings if allowed to spread naturally. Urgh!!! I am enjoying the whimsical beauty of the hanging "fruits" but will be sure to take them off the vine before they mature. Hahaha, I'm being mean to it like Jim. LOL

I planted 3 over 30 yrs. ago. Jim has managed to kill 2 of them straight out but 1 has been as obstinate as Jim and survived everything that he has thrown at it. LOL!!!

Jim killed 2 wisteria!!! I'm impressed!! I love wisteria!! A childhood good memory! The house I'm in now had a huge wisteria growing on the fence in the back. But in the 30 years I've been here it has never bloomed!! People told me to spade around the root, to do this and to do that. I even planted another wisteria in case that was the problem. I still have the wisteria although I have cut it way back but alas no blooms ever!!!! So Kim inspired me this year to start a Chinese Wisteria in a pot! It was loaded with blooms with I bought it a Lowes! I saw it and told myself I didn't need to buy it. Got in my car and started driving away and something just told me I had to have that wisteria and I turned around and went back and bought it!!!
Some day I hope to have a beautiful wisteria in a pot like Kim's!!

Believe me he put great effort into the act of murder!!!

noone can kill a wisteria.not even JAv........he tried to kill mine, ha ha ha....He is happy i do not have one at the new house, however, I am looking to acquire one soon!!!

Jim hasn't so far. It's back again. LOL!!!

I've tried to kill and pull up one I planted in the very back thinking my other one might need another one to pollinate with. Despite everything I've done to, pieces of it keep coming back!!

I agreed with everyone, once the wisteria's roots tunneled underground, there is no way we can rid of of them. I've those confined in the big containers, once I decided they've got to go; I simply stop watering them. They will perish with this treatment over a period of months.

Let's plant something that will give us some color this time of year. Best of all these don't need much sun light to flourish. Hydrangeas!

Those are really pretty Kim!! I'm on a hydrangea kick also! I have a lot of the old fashioned mop heads and some lace caps. But a couple of years ago I decided to start planting some of the smaller mountain hydrangeas and a lot of the new varieties. I put 5 new ones in this year. In my shaded back yard they do give a lot of pretty color throughout the summer!! I have a lot of azaleas and I'm putting the smaller ones in front of some of my azaleas. As some of my newer varieties get larger I plan to cut back or get rid of some of my mop head.

Very pretty Kim!!!

Charlotte, Jim and I cleared a side-yard and added some Tea-olives for fragrance, and some more hydrangeas last fall. Here is some mop head H. And other lacecap H.

Thanks sis. ain't they a pretty 'thang'? LOL