Description
Wisteria floribunda | Japanese Wisteria ‘Longissima Alba’ (Shiro-noda’)
Japanese Wisteria, is a woody, clockwise-twining, broadleaf deciduous vine boasting masses of cascading pea-like clusters of sweetly aromatic flowers. The ‘Longissima Alba’ vine, also known as White Japanese Wisteria, ‘Shiro-noda’, and ‘Shiro-naga’ has the longest flowers, hanging down up to 3o inches! The young leaves start out bronze in spring before turning dark green, and then yellow in the fall. Pendulous clusters of deliciously fragrant and long clusters of beautiful snow-white pea-like blooms. They open successively from the base to the tip, diffusing a strong and aromatic honey scent in calm weather. Looks absolutely incredible when part of a moonlight garden. Abundant seeds pods are produced late in the season when the weather lines up for adequate pollination of flowers.
Japanese Wisteria is easy to cultivate in wet and dry soils, but not too chalky. Train this vine on a strong pergola where a visitor can enjoy the lovely flowers and scent. It can and will grow up trees, but they must be exceptionally large and strong, otherwise they can overtake and ultimately starve them out of light. In fact, there is a wisteria vine in Japan that is over 144 years old and covers an area covering more than 10,000 square feet!
Wisteria floribunda seeds have little to no dormancy period and can begin sprouting quickly. Scarification (weakening the hard outer shell with sandpaper) is recommended by some for Wisteria seeds to achieve a high germination rate, however with standard germination methods it is still possible to have high success without scarification. Heat, humidity, and light will do it.
‘Longissima Alba’ Wisteria has been reported to be hardy to -25 F.
Prune annually after flowering.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Mature height: 20-30 ft
Mature width: 5-20 ft
Hardiness zones: 6-9
