Wisteria is so beautiful, you simply must grow a pot at home

Wisteria

also known as vine rose and vermilion vine, an excellent flowering climbing woody plant,

one of the four classic climbing plants,

In spring it blooms before the leaves emerge, with a profusion of purple flowers full of charm, and its fragrance drifts on the wind. With many branches and lush foliage, it can be trained into beautifully shaped bonsai of various styles, placed on tall stands or on top of bookcases, with blossoms covering the tree and old trunks leaning at an angle, full of distinctive elegance.

It was only after checking the keys in the Flora that I learned that "wisteria" (ziteng) and "tengluo" (Wisteria villosa) are actually not the same species. On close comparison, the two differ little in form: wisteria is purple while tengluo has a bluish tinge, which is not easy to notice; the other difference is whether they are hairy or hairless.

Besides purple, wisteria also has a white variety, though most white and pink wisterias are bred from Wisteria floribunda, which is native to Japan.

Wisteria propagation

The most widely used method is cuttings, generally using hardwood cuttings. In mid-to-late March, before the branches sprout, select vigorous 1-2 year old branches, cut them into cuttings about 15cm long, and insert them into a prepared seedbed, with the insertion depth at 2/3 of the cutting length. After inserting, spray water, strengthen care, and keep the seedbed moist. The survival rate is very high, and the plants can reach 20-50cm in height in the same year, and can leave the nursery after two years.

Transplanting and potting

Wisteria is a warm-temperate and temperate plant with strong adaptability to climate and soil. It is relatively cold-resistant, tolerant of waterlogging and poor soil, loves light, and is fairly shade-tolerant. It grows quickly and lives very long. It is best cultivated in places with deep soil layers, good drainage, and sun and shelter from wind.

Wisteria is mostly transplanted in spring before it leafs out, and the plant is pruned at the same time. Because it is a climbing plant with a fairly long trunk, it can be cut off at a suitable position, keeping only the main branches and trunk needed for the bonsai shape; its main root is also very long, while fibrous roots and lateral roots are few, so the overly long main root can be shortened and more lateral roots retained.

Pruning and shaping

Wisteria bonsai shaping is mainly by pruning, with wiring as a supplement. The branches should be staggered high and low to avoid monotony, and the layers should be few rather than many. When new buds emerge in spring, appropriately remove dense buds; when new branches grow to more than 20 cm long, the overly long parts can be cut off; usually pay attention to cutting off water sprouts, diseased branches and weak branches at any time; pruning should also be done during the dormant period. In September, remove the old leaves to encourage new leaves to sprout.

Watering and fertilizing

During the growing season,

apply a dilute cake fertilizer once every half month

stop fertilizing

; in September, normal watering can be resumed

and fertilizing, but

the fertilizing

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