Description
Wisteria floribunda | Japanese Wisteria ‘Lawrence’
Japanese Wisteria, is a woody, clockwise-twining, broadleaf deciduous vine boasting masses of cascading pea-like clusters of sweetly aromatic flowers. The ‘Lawrence’ vine was originally found growing on a cottage in Ottowa, Canada in 1970. It is acknowledged by many as the top lavender-blue Wisteria cultivar, and is also noted for its exceptional floribundity, having more blooms per raceme than any other Japanese Wisteria. The 2-3 ft long racemes are loaded with as many as 160 flowers! The young leaves start out bronze in spring before turning dark green, and then yellow in the fall. Pendulous clusters of tightly-packed flowers of a beautiful white, soft blue-mauve, yellow, and violet-blue. They open successively from the base to the tip, diffusing a strong and carrying aromatic honey scent in calm weather. Abundant seeds pods are produced late in the season when the weather lines up for adequate pollination of flowers.
It is easy to cultivate in any well-drained soil, even poor and dry, 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.
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.
‘Lawrence’ Wisteria has been reported to be hardy to -25 F.
Received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulture Society.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Mature height: 15-30 ft
Mature width: 3-10 ft
Hardiness zones: 5 -9
