Wisteria 'Ivory Tower' (Wisteria Floribunda)

Photo taken March 27, 2003 in Summerville, SC, USDA Zone 8a

Gorgeous! I'm trying to "create" one of these. Mine is only a few years old so I'm still training it. Could you tell me approximately how tall yours is? I've trimmed mine to about 7 ft and am unsure if this is tall enough. Sheryl

Hi Patp, We recently purchased a wisteria and I wasnt sure what to do with it yet. I thought it was a vine, yet after looking at how beautiful your wisteria, maybe it is not a vine. Could you give me some tips on what to do with our wisteria? I planted it in the ground by a trellis maybe it is in the wrong place.
Any suggestions and information would be greatly appreciated
Kerry

Sheryl, our Wisteria is roughly 5 - 6 ft. tall. The height isn't critical as long as it has good support.

Kerry, Wisteria is a vine. It can either be trained to shrub size by pruning top growth or allowed to climb a strong trellis. If planted at the base of a Pine tree, Wisteria will climb to the top of the tree if left alone (Oak and Sweet Gum trees seem to repel the vine). It blooms best where it receives full sun. I wouldn't recommend planting it near a house.

Good luck to both of you!

Pat

Thank you Pat for your reply, our wisteria will definitely have to be moved. We have it on a trellis next to the garage. When you wrapped it around the support did the vine grow together forming one solid base? What is the top of the wisteria growing on? Surely it doesnt just grow out without support. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks again for your help
Kerry

Hi Kerry,

My husband, Bill, secured the vine to a fence post but didn't wrap the vine around the post. As it grew, he pinched out the side shoots so it would get taller. It continued to put out new runners from the base, and Bill wrapped many of the new runners around the original vine. It became very heavy and required constant staking for a long time. Some of the runners were dug up and planted in containers to be given away as gifts.

Yes, the top is supported by the base alone. When it reaches a desirable height, the top runners can be allowed to flow downward. Pinching/cutting produces a fuller bush. Wherever Wisteria touches the ground, it will develop roots and start a new plant, which can then be cut and replanted.

Wisteria shouldn't be planted where it can attach itself to a building, since it will grow under sidings or overhanging roofs, causing damage. A search for 'Wisteria floribunda' on the plantsdatabase.com will produce a list of Wisteria other than 'Ivory Tower;' read some of the comments to get a better 'feel' for the plant. I'm sure you'll enjoy yours!

Pat

(edited to narrow the search criteria to W. floribunda)


This message was edited Jan 20, 2005 9:50 PM

Wow Pat I am so happy to get your reply! I have been trying to get the right look in my small city backyard for a long time and I think this is exactly what it needs. We have a power box and telephone pole behind our garage so every overhead line there is crosses are lot and trees are out of the question, but this wisteria this way poses lots of possibilities for me. I dont know how long it took you and your husband Bill to grow your vine to be as big as it is but it really is beautiful and I just wanted you to know how much i appreciate your reply's.
Kerry

Kerry, Bill planted 'Ivory Tower' in a half wiskey barrel perhaps 15 years ago then when we moved to our current location, he planted it in the ground. He later moved it to its current location. Runners kept coming up in the old location, so he'd dig them up and give them away. Like most plants, it was happier in the ground than in a container. SC climate and soil conditions are different in our two states so it's hard to predict how fast your Wisteria will grow, but I can tell you that it grows all over the place here. Our town is nicknamed 'Flowertown in the Pines,' and Wisteria grows to the top of many of the pines. A few areas are totally covered in Wisteria vines. Bill has planted many purple Wisterias around the property and many were native to the area when we moved here. It's a good thing he keeps the transplants in check or we'd be overrun in vines. It's gorgeous, though, in springtime when Wisteria, dogwood trees, azaleas, etc. are in bloom at the same time! Hope you can see Wisteria climbing the trees in the attached photo.

And here's one that's kept trimmed. That's a Redbud tree in bloom ( also purple) in the right background.



This message was edited Jan 22, 2005 9:58 AM

Is this your backyard? How nice. We only have a lot 60 feet wide by 120 feet. For a city lot its not that bad and a lot bigger than most in the neighborhood. We live in Livonia Michigan which is zone 5 on some maps and zone 6 in others. Maybe with you being in zone 8 the wisteria has a better chance at taking over like you've discribed to me, hopefully it does well on a support and i can keep it under control, but I am a little worried about that now. What do you think, should I try to put it in a container first to see how it does, or put it right into the ground?
Kerry

Kerry, I think your wisteria will do well planted in the ground in a sunny location. Wisteria grows in zones 4 thru 9.

Yes, we live in an ideal location, 30 miles from Charleston, SC and a few miles more to the Atlantic Ocean (pity, I don't enjoy going to the ocean). Our nearest city, Summerville, is 6 miles away, so we have plenty of shopping opportunities. We currently live on a dirt road in the 'country' but housing developments are cropping faster than you can say Jack Rabbit. I lived in Flint MI during the Vietnam war 1969-1970, and my mother at one time had a home in St. Ignace, plus a few other places in Michigan.

Since you have a lot of power lines in your yard, you might also be able to plant trees that don't get too tall and can be trimmed, such as dogwood and redbud. They would look lovely with the wisteria.

Guess you'll be making snowmen today (I peeked at the Livonia website).

Keep warm,
Pat

Wow, they were not kidding about the weather. My back is killing me from doing all that shoveling! I sure wish that you could see some pics of my yard. When we couldnt plant trees we put a shurb garden in. We planted plants like Asters which i know is perrenial but it grows as big as a bush. We put in some Rhododendron (not sure the spelling) some spirea, dogwood bush, some evergreen shurbs, goldenrod, rose bushes, and three really cool pink and white bushes that i liked when we were looking but had no tag. Then my husband built me three arbors and put in a pond for me. We have lots of tall grasses behind the pond and next to the neighbors and two more flower beds which camouflage the filter and has a small stream running through it. So even without the trees its still a nice yard. I was hoping to create rooms like i had seen in a magazine but needed a break that a tree would give. So my intentions are to use the wisteria as that break for the eye. Your yard is huge and beautiful and i can only wish that i had such space, not to mention living in the country regardless of the developments going on. When I asked my husband to look for property in the country he would have no part of it. What dont you like about the ocean? It must stay very warm there, the ocean seems to bring in warmer weather, or so I thought. I had lived in Sumpter Twp for 13 years and it was country with alot of development going on as well, but the birds were so cool out there. We have property up on Rainy Lake with lots of trees up there and some day we will have some flowers up there as well. I know im probably talkin your ear off!
Kerry

Kerry, your neighbors must be envious of your gardening instincts, and I hope your next-door neighbors appreciate your efforts, too. In downtown Charleston, there are many small formal gardens that are to die for (well, almost), they're so beautiful and well designed. I wouldn't be surprised if your husband was thinking of driving time to work when you say he's not interested in country living. It's wonderful that he's worked so hard to improve your city yard. Having property at a lake is a wise investment as well as a great place to relax.

Pat

Sorry I havent replied sooner Pat. You are absolutely right it was the drive time he was thinking about. We were talking about taking a vacation and going to see Charleston, they have some real nice bed and breakfast places there on the web. Maybe you even know of a good place to suggest. My neighbor on the left side has a real nice yard as well, but the neighbor on the right doesnt care for either one of us. Course she is all about keeping up with the Jones sort of person, and cant keep up with our gardening. The property up North is a nice get away for sure but four hours is a long time to drive except for vacation.
Do you have any plans for building a pergala? (Not sure of spelling) I love your wisteria, but maybe it needs more room than I have you said that yours was about 6' tall but about how wide is it? Gosh now I am back to not sure what to do with that wisteria, I can see it now....
move this plant and this bush here to make room for it..... then dig up this and plant this here to make room for what was pulled up there.... I guess eventually the yard will be done :-)