Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro-kapitan'
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Tried and True Recommended by 1 Professional
Common Name: silky wisteria
Type: Vine
Family: Fabaceae
Zone: 5 to 8
Garden Location: U.S. Bank City Garden
Height: 10 to 25 feet
Spread: 3 to 6 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: High
Flowers: Showy Flowers, Fragrant Flowers
Tolerates: Deer
Uses: Will Naturalize

Culture

Best grown in acidic, moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Best flowering in full sun. Needs a sturdy support structure on which to grow. Can be invasive (rampant growth plus rooting surface runners). Needs regular pruning to control size and shape of plant. Can be slow to establish.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Silky wisteria is a woody, counter clockwise-twining, deciduous vine which typically grows 10-25'. Features bright green, 8-14" long, compound pinnate leaves (each with 9-13 leaflets) which are pubescent (hence the common name) on both sides. Drooping clusters (racemes to 6" long) of fragrant, pea-like, white flowers bloom in May as the leaves emerge. Flowers give way to pendant, velvety, bean-like seed pods (to 8" long) which ripen in autumn and may persist into winter.

Problems

Though susceptible to a number of foliage-chewing insects and fungal diseases, none are significant. Considered a high maintenance plant, however, because of its need for regular pruning, its invasive tendencies which must be constantly monitored (particularly if grown on structures adjacent to buildings) and its vulnerability to late spring frost damage to flower buds.

Garden Uses

Excellent vine for large, sturdy, free-standing arbors, pergolas or fences. Can be grown up the side of buildings on large trellises or other structures. May be trained as a specimen shrub or tree.

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