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Climber Wall Shrub

Wisteria floribunda 'Nishiki' (v)

Japanese wisteria 'Nishiki'

Deciduous climber about 5-6m tall, with twining stems, and green leaves speckled and variegated white, divided into small, crinkled leaflets. Well-established older plants may produce drooping racemes of lightly scented, blue-purple, pea-like flowers to 15cm long in late spring, but this cultivar rarely flowers and is grown for the attractive foliage

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eaten - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Wisteria are vigorous woody climbers with twining stems bearing pinnate leaves and long pendulous racemes of fragrant pea-like flowers in spring and early summer
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow against a house wall, archway or trained as a free-standing half standard in a container. Suitable for bonsai cultivation. Will grow in most soils that are moist but well-drained in sun or part shade. See wisteria cultivation for more advice

Propagation

Propagate by layering in spring, softwood cuttings from late spring to early summer, hardwood cuttings in winter, root cuttings in late winter or grafting in late winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Climber and wall shrubs
Wall side borders

Pruning

Prune twice a year for best results, see pruning wisteria for detailed advice

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, and scale insects including wisteria scale

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), phytophthora root rot, coral spot, fungal leaf spot, virus diseases, and powdery mildews

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