Q: I have two questions about wisteria with which I hope you can help me. I purchased a wisteria a few years ago. It has white blooms. It bloomed the first year I planted it. The second year it had no blooms and last year it had only two blooms. The vine looks very healthy and is growing well, but virtually no blooms? I live in northern
My second question has to do with whether or not wisteria is poisonous. I read that it was part of the pea family and that typically would mean it is poisonous to horses. The plant is in reach of my horses and one of them did some selected pruning last year but did not show any side effects. Wisteria was not listed in my poisonous plant book, so I’m unsure of whether or not it is a danger to the horses.
Thanks for you help with this.
A: According to the Pennsylvania department of agriculture and the University of North carolina list of poisonous plants, the seeds and seedpods of wisteria are poisonous. The Cornell University Department of Animal Sciences claims that all parts of the plant are poisonous. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms; it is toxic only if your horses eat lots of it, but it's till best to keep your horses away from the wisteria. See the following links: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/agbook/robinia.htm#Wisteria
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/db2www/plant_indiv.d2w/PHOTO?byname=common&keynum=93
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Wistesp.htm
Wisteria is hardy down to zone 4, but the flower buds can sometimes be frozen by a late freeze. It is notorious for not blooming while it is young. I am guessing that it will start blooming more in future years, and that getting acclimated to it's new home in the past several years has taken up most of it's energy. Be sure it gets at least six hours of full sun each day and do not fertilize unless the leaves are not a healthy green color. Too much fertilizer promotes foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Prune a month or two after flowering has completed to keep the plant a reasonable size and to encourage new growth for next year. Pruning off the seedpods will also help to prevent new plants from springing up. Wisteria is considered invasive in the continental United States.
Hi Joe,
I live in Manchester, Maryland and have grown chinese wisteria with great success. However, if it is chinese wisteria it takes 7 years of growth before it blooms, but once it does it is well worth the wait.
Susan
Is there such a thing as a non-blooming wisteria? I live on Long Island, NY. The vine was grown from seed, and has never bloomed in 20 years. I have tried pruning at different times of the year.
ANSWERED HERE