{"id":2677,"date":"2021-08-19T00:03:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T07:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-466\/"},"modified":"2024-04-11T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T18:42:25","slug":"non-blooming-wisteria","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/non-blooming-wisteria\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-blooming Wisteria"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have a Chinese wisteria which we’ve had for 20 years. We’ve<\/strong>
\ntrained it on a trellis to the side of our covered porch and then<\/strong>
\non a rope across the front so there is a nice green, leafy fringe<\/strong>
\nalong the porch front. However, this plant has never bloomed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have consulted with our local horticultural experts and they have suggested various treatments. The lawn care<\/strong>
\npeople do not fertilize near the roots of the wisteria so it<\/strong>
\ndoesn’t get too much phosphorus, we have done root pruning, we have<\/strong>
\neven hit the trunk with a board to shock it, have applied super<\/strong>
\nphosphate but no blooms. We get some pretty cold<\/strong>
\nwinters, but I’ve never even seen flower buds anywhere on the<\/strong>
\nplant. I know wisterias are sometimes late in blooming, but this<\/strong>
\nis a long time to wait! The roots of the plant face east and get<\/strong>
\nlots of sun. The part across the porch is shaded in the afternoon<\/strong>
\nbecause we have two pine trees in the front yard. We prune off the<\/strong>
\ntendrils that form during the summer to keep the plant in check,<\/strong>
\nbut what else can we do to get blooms? I know it would be a<\/strong>
\nspectacular display if it ever bloomed and have almost given up<\/strong>
\ntrying. I’m thinking of hanging artificial blooms just to get the<\/strong>
\neffect!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I found quite a bit of discussion in online gardening forums about
\nflowerless wisterias, so you are not alone. You may find this information
\nfrom Cass Turnbull of Plant Amnesty helpful:<\/p>\n

“THE MOST COMMON COMMENT I get at classes and at the PlantAmnesty
\neducational booth is, “My wisteria won’t bloom.” It is natural for these
\nvines to take between three and seven years to start blooming. I have
\nread that frequent, proper pruning may help them to begin blooming
\nsooner, or at least more. On the other hand, some people have old vines
\nthat have never bloomed. I am told that these are seed grown plants or
\n“mules.” I have often heard root pruning recommended to force an older
\nvine to bloom. Basically, this means that you use your shovel to cut the
\nroots in a circle (or dotted circle) a foot or two from the vine. I have
\nalso heard people recommend fertilizer formulated to encourage blooms,
\n(not heavy on nitrogen). However, I have been faced with such a vine and
\nhad no luck with either technique. In that case, as with all
\nnon-performers, removal is the best option, and no one will blame you for
\nit.”<\/p>\n

Here are gardener Ketzel Levine’s comments, from her NPR.org site:<\/p>\n

“Depending on how old your wisteria is, do know that young plants can take
\nup to eight or ten years before they flower, especially if started from
\nseed. Other reasons wisteria fail to bloom: lack of adequate sunlight
\n(needs at least six hours of full sunlight); too much nitrogen fertilizer
\n(causes more vegetative growth); pruned heavily in winter or spring (also
\nencourages vigorous vegetative growth); severe winter injury\/cold-blasted
\nflower buds (though that is clearly not a problem this year) or a bum
\nplant. It happens.”<\/p>\n

You could either try the method described above, of cutting a circle with
\na shovel, or you could replace the vine, or you could follow through on
\nyour artificial flower idea! (I’ve heard that Bellevue Botanical Gardens
\nhangs Wisteria-shaped lights from their arbor for their holiday light
\nshow.)<\/p>\n

Failure to flower<\/a>, <\/span>Wisteria<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have a Chinese wisteria which we’ve had for 20 years. We’ve trained it on a trellis to the side of our covered porch and then on a rope across the front so there is a nice green, leafy fringe along the porch front. However, this plant has never bloomed. We have consulted with our local horticultural experts and they have suggested various treatments. The lawn care people do not fertilize near the roots of the wisteria so it doesn’t…<\/p>\n

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