Wisteria sinensis
Chinese wisteria
- Position: full sun or light, dappled shade
- Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: May to June
- Flower colour: bluish-lilac
- Other features: velvety, green seed-pods in hot summers; all parts of the plant are harmful if ingested
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Pendant clusters of fragrant, pea-like, bluish-lilac flowers in May and June, often followed by velvety-green seed-pods. This vigorous Chinese wisteria looks fabulous trained over a sunny wall or strong pergola. Renowned for its superior fragrance and flower-colour, the twining stems need careful pruning.
All the Wisterias we sell are grafted, so will start to flower at a younger age than those grown from cuttings. - Garden care: In the first growing season tie in lateral shoots and cut back sub-lateral shoots to two or three buds. During the first winter cut back laterals by one third and sub-laterals by two or three buds.
- Harmful if eaten
Clematis 'Purple Spider'
clematis (group 1)
Often has a second flush of flowers
Rosa 'Madame Grégoire Staechelin'
rose Madame Grégoire Staechelin (climbing hybrid tea)
Heady pink flowers
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clematis (group 1)
Delicate pale pink scented flowers
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voss's laburnum
A fine specimen tree with brilliant yellow flowers
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An anticlockwise climber of noble proportions with fragrant racemes of mauve, pea flowers followed by velvety bean pods - for those who want to deck a house in May glory
Val Bourne - Garden Writer