In my opinion wisteria is a very pretty plant and when in bloom is great. \

I know they can be managed as there is ones at the Sarah Duke Gardens in Durham NC that the original trucks are nearly 12 inches in diameter.

However there are to strong negatives. One: They are hard to control, and can be up the light pole before you are aware they are growing.

Two: While they smell wonderful, when they are in full bloom the scent can be over powering especially if you have allergies. There is a big difference between a small bonsai and a large tree in the front yard.

The ones at Sarah Duke gardens may be a hundred years old so it will be some time before it gets that size. However, the small one my wife planted near a light pole several decades ago was in the transformer at the top of the light pole with in a few summer months.

PS: If you are close enough to Durham, the Sarah Duke gardens are worth the hours that will take you to go through them.

I thought I read the grafted trees are easier to contain. No base roots taking off. Just pruning the branches. Nothing near it to attach itself to for it to climb. It's pretty much out in the open. But...allergies. Something to consider. Though mine aren't what they once were...my son couldn't breathe in our front room with the life Christmas tree this past year. (Never had issues in the past,but recently showing signs of allergies)

My wisteria came from a warm climate so I had to winter it indoors. This winter it will go outdoors...and bloom closer to the cycle it should for this area. But...the fragrance was nice...but not near as many blooms as a larger tree would have. That is definitely food for thought.

Thanks for the suggestion...if I get near there...I will try and remember to pop in for a leisurely walk though the gardens.

Basically what you have is a bonsai. That plant is at least 7-8 years old already and probably kept in bounds by frequent root pruning (and then putting it back in the pot).

Esh-ga...correct the photo is of my bonsai that happens to be my husband's favorite. The nursery where we stopped at this weekend had wisteria trees. Those were the ones we were contemplating. A good 4-5 foot tall they were.

Is there a wisteria tree, as well? I have only seen vines.

They can be grown as standards but need constant maintenance. And they aren't low to the ground. There was a long thread on Cottage Gardens sometime back. The pics have been deleted but there is discussion of pruning and there's one photo left. I'm sure if you revived the thread woodyoak would share her expertise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wisteria tree discussion

never heard of a grafted wisteria. in my area (where they grow like weeds), they are not grafted that i am aware of but are simply planted and trained by pruning and staking to achieve a tree-like form. will it be hardy outdoors in ohio?
i had a seed-grown plant shaped like the one below that is in a friend's yard and decided to get rid of it as i learned about the aggressive nature of this plant. it was well-behaved (except for the seed pods) until i cut it down. i made a big mistake by not using herbicide on the stump. it started to run everywhere. i am still finding pieces trying to grow. it is a plant that wants to survive!
you will not likely have to deal with that where you live but i will never plant another for that reason.
it is easy to see why people like them, though. they are beautiful and have a nice fragrance.

Spoke with the nursery...woman knows less about wisteria than myself. The one tree was grafted high. The other...I assumed either grafted low or was trained as a vine to be a tree, it's twisted and staked in the pot. Which...she agreed would most likely not be grafted. That said...I may go after the grafted variety. After research says they are easier contained.

They also have wisteria shrubs...but need a trellis to be trained up. But said would be a nightmare. With suckers off the roots and such all over the yard. I know...one is NOT to use a nitrogen fertilizer on these...they produce nitrogen doing so makes it more of an uphill battle with foliage/vining than blooms.

Floral...thanks for the link. I posted there...maybe I can resurrect it. With more advice.

I have two. Massive climbers. I have kept one in a contained bush form...but i should take up basket weaving...the one by the barn needs weekly pruning just to get in the door.
First thing sat morning is mow and prune the wisteria, (aka hysteria).
I thought the snow had taken it down finally...it was flat and looked dead for most of the early spring but now grows 2 ft a week. All directions. I think i'll go at it a bit heavy the next few weeks....must be a tree form in there somewhere.
The one down by the garden shed is way up and old plum tree...i just let it run wild.

The area beside my weeping cherry...is about 15' to the edge of my flower bed. I just sent a question to the nursery's Facebook wall. Asking if they felt it would harm my weeping cherry or if I had enough room for a grafted tree form. Or...if putting one on my three sided trellis more advisable. (The twined tree trained vine) was beautiful.

Also learned from a bonsai form...that even though it is grafted...it is grafted to a wisteria root stock. Which...I didn't know. So I was off about thinking it was grafted to a different variety of tree. So much to think about...

"Wisteria is a beautiful flowering woody vine, and the Wisteria Tree has been masterfully created by grafting a Wisteria vine on top of a standard tree trunk and root system. "

Scratching head...this site...says differently than what I was told on the bonsai forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Wisteria-Tree.htm

There are grafted wisteria standards (tree-form plants) but they are only grafted to a trained, straight-trunked wisteria vine......there are no types of wisteria that naturally grow into a "tree'. And many forms of wisteria are sold as grafted plants - it doesn't mean the rootstock is any less aggressive. It only ensures blooming at a young age, as seed-grown plants can take as much as 15-20 years to bloom as opposed to grafted cuttings.

And as floral indicates, tree-form wisterias take a great deal of maintenance to keep the plant in check and appearance looking good.......maybe even more so than does just the vining form.

I have been battling those vines for years now. It's gotten to the point where I want to kill them at the nursery.
Don't plant one. I'll find it.

:)

I have been battling those vines for years now. It's gotten to the point where I want to kill them at the nursery.
Don't plant one. I'll find it.

:)

Doing more research...American Wisteria is "non-invasive" to my area. So that I guess is what I need to find out. What variety they are offering.

A wisteria vine will eat the trellis in that picture for supper. We planted wisteria to a pergola with trellis inserts, and the trellis is long since a memory. It's twenty four years old now, and the 'vine' part of it is thick and sturdy, so trellis is not needed anymore anyway and the foliage and branches of it just spread out over the shade slats overhead. At this point, I'd imagine the ball of wax is self-supporting anyway. As said they are rampant growers, and I wouldn't call ours invasive, but it does move away in other directions from the parent plant and we need to address that occasionally.

Here's the thing I have with them. Not all of them are created equal as far as their bloom display. Our's just pretty much blooms when it d****med well wants to. It's not a nitrogen issue, it's not a pruning issue. It is just not a good bloomer and when we get a good show, it's a pleasant surprise. Most years just a few stringy blooms. It does have pleasant foliage and gives nice shade to the seat in the structure. It just happens, and there is little one can do before the fact to pick a good bloomer when you buy a vine. I worked at that nursery where I bought it and not a stranger to them and I still got an underachiever.

wisteria frutescens 'amethyst falls' is a cultivar of the native american species. it is just as vigorous as the asian species and will get huge. a friend planted one on a pergola and you can hardly see the lumber now. the american version has smaller flower panicles and no fragrance. it is not considered invasive since it is native but it also is less showy and fragrant than the imports.
i still think the best way to maintain/contain the size is to grow it in tree form like the one pictured above and just tip prune for size and shape. an open location makes it easier to access.

Thanks Jeff...I really want a tree form. (My first choice) I don't mind pruning...most of my yard doesn't take much time to maintain. So I have a tree that needs pruned more often...I think I can handle it. I absolutely LOVE my wisteria bonsai. It is my husband's favorite...so why not a tree. I also love that it's not seen in every landscape.

Everywhere I research...says the tree form is far easier to manage...then the vine on a trellis. So...trellis needs something else. But...I so want the tree I seen last Saturday.

"Everywhere I research...says the tree form is far easier to manage"

LOL!! Then they obviously haven't growth the plant! See all that stuff at the base of the trunk?? Suckers that need to be removed promptly. And they will return on almost a weekly basis. Not to mention the root suckers that can pop up anywhere in the lawn or surrounding flower beds. And it looks great while in bloom but then you will have to deal with the long, whippy tendrils that grow several feet a day in the summer months after flowering.

If you still have to have it, fine and I hope you enjoy it immensely :-)) But to expend that kind of energy on a plant that only provides a couple of weeks of flowers is to me not a fair trade-off and would not be my idea of a good time gardening.

I have 'Amethyst Falls'. In zone 5 this seems to be much more manageable than a non-native in say zone 7 or 8 where they grow feet per day and require constant pruning. I haven't had to do much at all with this one except first get it going on the support we built for it. You can see the flowers are stubbier, and don't believe it that they have no scent. They smell awful! I'm serious. I have no idea how the native has such a nasty smell. LOL! It's further back in my yard so it's not so bad. I would not advise planting one of these near a deck or you might be unpleasantly surprised when it starts to bloom. But it does put out a lot of blooms which makes up for the stubbier flowers.

{{gwi:377420}}

Thyme...those are beautiful. But the thought if their having a pungent odor will keep me from planting a more manageable wisteria.

We have decided to go with tree form...only because my husband said...if I have patience with bonsai...surely I can manage a wisteria tree. My bonsai wisteria is no trouble at all...and it's basically miniature form. I do though...see quite a handful if I go with the vine tree form that is meant to climb something. For it was twisted and needs support to stand upright. Which I had contemplated our gazebo. Reading the link that was attached I did see where the tree was mentioned to be more manageable by a few posters. When it is upright and not allowed to climb over something. For a second...I thought I had a winner...with zone 5 and a manageable vine. Until I read it is quite unpleasant to smell. And it is to close to outdoor living spaces. I appreciate the heads up though on that.

Over on the cottage forum...Annette purchased a wisteria tree unbeknownst to her...Wanting to have it vine and later train up a plant posts arms...After a little over 2 years the thing has yet to vine. She finds it is quite easy to maintain. So that is also a positive note.

Thyme...I am beginning to think I do have the American Wisteria...either the Amethyst Falls...or...the Longwood variety. Time will tell when the bloom/racemes open up. It has small past spent racemes stems...that are 2-5" in length. (Knew it would have dwarf blooms/racemes when I got it) So the Amethyst Falls...either no one smells them...or they are pungent as you describe. Not sure if the Longwood variety has a similar odor or not.

Curious...is the odor only during bloom cycles? Because...the more I research...the more I am leaning that is the variety I may have...With how small the blooms/racemes spent stems are on it. I am not finding any other small blooming wisteria names. Other than a white variety...which the buds are dark purple...so I don't feel it could be that variety.

Can you give us an update on the joys and woes of your grafted wisteria tree? I am thinking about purchasing one.

Grafted plants tend to be more precocious to bloom - very few wisterias are grown from seedlings or cuttings in the UK. Our colleges and town gardens have numerous wisteria specimens - from 150year old vines twisting through ancient wrought iron railings (on Magdelene College) to self-supporting Japanese wisteria (macrobotrys - less rampant than the vigorous w.sinensis) - it is a plant which has made itself much at home on Cambridge chalk. If you enjoy pruning and training (and I do) then growing wisteria as a standard specimen is very rewarding...and those suckers are swiftly mowed.

Thank you!