American wisteria
Wisteria frutescens
GCA Plant of the Year 2006
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size15 to 30 feet tall4 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Lilac-purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) is a vine for pollinator gardens, privacy screens, and hedges. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Fragrant lilac-purple flowers hang in drooping clusters after the leaves open, and butterflies, bees, and birds visit them. Deer rarely make it their first choice. A brown pod stays on the vine until winter.
Pairs well with Virginia sweetspire, Cardinal flower, and Bottlebrush buckeye.
Native range
Eastern United States.