General information on "Asian" Wisteria

Warm, somewhat wind-protected, sunny locations. Poorer flowering in partial shade. Deep, humus-rich soil with a good water supply. Distance between plants: 3 - 6 m.

Strong, healthy and vigorous twining plants up to 20 metres tall. Feathery leaves, foliage from May to November, some varieties with yellow autumn colouring. With good pruning, lush main flowering in spring (April to May) from the flower buds of the previous year. The flowers are said to be edible as scalloped "doughnuts", at least in the Chinese varieties such as "Prolific". (Information without guarantee). Post-flowering in summer is very pronounced in some types, but almost non-existent in others. Grey-green, hairy and poisonous legumes.

Wie hoch wachsen asiatische Blauregen? 10 - 15 Meter sind mit ausreichend Wasser möglich, "Wisteria floribunda" und wohl einige Hybriden schaffen an windgeschützten Standorten auch 20 m und mehr. Da das nur sehr wenige Pflanzen können, sind diese Blauregen prädestiniert für anspruchsvolle, hohe FassadenbeGRÜNungen, unabhängig von einer möglichen Blütenpracht. Unten sehen Sie Beispiele!

"Asian" Wisteria have a problem... In 2017, Dave Creech from the SFA Arboretum / USA wrote: "A wisteria can quickly become a monster if left unattended for a long time - e.g. overnight". How so? Young wisteria are "green octopuses" - the shoots have a radius of action of more than 1 metre and grow light-flying in cracks, crevices etc.. As they grow thicker, components are then crushed and a blasting effect can occur in crevices. Inadequate training and care can cause considerable structural damage!

Lightning conductors, downpipes, gutters, ventilation openings and joints must therefore not be covered, which means that "Asian" Wisteria need supervision. If constant supervision is not possible, climbing aids should have a preventive distance of 2 metres from all the components mentioned and from the edge of the roof, both sideways and upwards.

All varieties in this group grow strongly, but can also be "squeezed" into small shapes with consistent training, as required by the situation. For the sake of clarity, it is best to build up a sparse trunk framework with only one shoot, similar to grapevines. Individual strands, i.e. vertical and horizontal "spindles" or angular forms, each with many short side branches, which are then shortened back to "cones" every year, see below, have proved successful. However, fan shapes analogous to grapevines are also possible.

To get even more flowers, several shoots are often cultivated as a bunch. This also looks decorative! However, the shoots strangle each other as they grow thicker, which often leads to the death of individual shoots. These then become dry dead wood and form a fire load on the wall. For this reason, multi-shoot training is reserved for the private sector (constant supervision!).

Pruning once or several times in summer slows down the development of foliage, especially in young Wisteria. This usually reduces after 5 - 15 years, which then makes summer pruning easier. Pruning can be carried out from June onwards, but also later if necessary to avoid cutting off the precious post-flowers of some varieties. The aim is to shorten all shoots that are not required to lengthen the trunk framework to approx. 30 cm in late summer. The flower buds will then develop better at the bottom of the shoots for the following year.

In winter, a kind of "spur pruning" is carried out in the same way as for vines. The shoots, which have already been shortened to approx. 30 cm, are pruned again so that almost only round flower buds remain. There are then approx. 3 buds per shoot, see also the photos below. Side branches that would scratch the façade plaster if the spindles were twisted slightly by the wind are cut away completely, especially on façades with sensitive insulation (ETICS).

Stable, preferably stick-like trellises, adapted to the height and width of growth. Rather linear, less extensive, preferably no wooden trellises. The 10 mm series is suitable. Wire ropes are suitable if the structure is set up with "parallel trunk guidance" or with a "lost rope" as described in the photos below. For ropes, preferably heavy / massive kits. Medium "Classic" kits and simple "Basic" kits may be used in private gardens (constant supervision) and for potted plants. See below for suitable arrangements of rods and ropes.