When choosing a wisteria, insist on a grafted specimen. Grafted wisterias bloom the first year after planting, but seed-grown plants may not bloom for 12 years after planting.
Japanese wisterias (Wisteria floribunda) twine clockwise and have long flowers that open from top to bottom and bloom for a month or more. The leaves come out at the same time as the flowers. Outstanding Japanese varieties include: ‘Longissima’ (same as ‘Macrobotrys’), ‘Longissima Alba’, and ‘Rosea’.
Chinese wisterias (Wisteria sinensis) twine counter-clockwise and their blooms are shorter in length than those of Japanese wisterias. Their flowers open all at once on bare wood with leaves opening later, for a more spectacular show of shorter duration (about 3 weeks.) The Chinese wisteria variety ‘Cooke’s Special’, is generally considered to be the finest variety for Southern California, easy to find bare-root in January.
Kaffir lily Clivia miniata, a fleshy-rooted perennial from South Africa. It grows well in the shade beneath wisteria, blooms at the same time, is drought-resistant like wisteria, and the two plants together create a breathtaking combination of colors.
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