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alyciaadamo

Wisteria in part shade in zone 4?

alyciaadamo
13 years ago

I live in Northern Maine and I was wondering if there was a Wisteria vine that I could grow in my zone, but also in part shade? The area I want it for only gets sun from about 6-7 am to 11am ish. maybe in the height of summer 12 or 1. I was thinking of keeping on my fence and an arbor. I have an Ivy vine and it seems fine back there but it's just a baby. Any ideas?

Comments (11)

  • karyn1
    13 years ago

    I found this online:
    Zones 3-4
    Look for a winter-hardy variety of wisteria, such as Blue Moon of the wisteria floribunda species, which should withstand the winters and come back beautifully in the spring. You may plant in the ground or in pots, but during the winter months, bring the pots in and cover the in-ground vines with mulch and plastic for extra protection. As it gets colder, the vine will drop its bloom and leaves and it will look like a barren warren of branches. This is the time to cut wisteria back.

    It didn't mention exposure but I don't know if you'll get it to bloom in partial shade, especially in your zone.

  • alyciaadamo
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ok thank you

  • dianasan
    13 years ago

    Wow! That is a thing of beauty!

    I'm in Canada Zone 5a which I believe is equivalent to your US Zone 4. I too have a Blue Moon wisteria which is 3 years old. It bloomed the first time last summer and had 6 blooms. This year I have 36 buds about to bloom. I would have had at least double as many blooms but some rodent gnawed off one of the two main vines during the winter.

    BTW, does Blue Moon wisteria get as massive as those we see in warmer parts of the county?

  • arctictropical
    13 years ago

    Hi Diana (my wife's name as well). It's nice that your 'Blue Moon' is doing well despite the rodents. I'm not sure how big it ultimately gets, but it definitely grows slower, and is more manageable than the Asian varieties. I really did not have to prune it much this year. I'm also excited to see it bloom this year. We had a late Spring, so my flower buds are just beginning to show up, but there's a lot of them!

  • dianasan
    13 years ago

    Arctictropical, I'm glad to hear that it's a slow grower because I had to plant it pretty close to my concrete deck in order for it to get the best sun exposure, and also, I don't really know how to prune the thing yet. But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually.

    Thank you for your help.

  • arctictropical
    13 years ago

    Sorry for the delay in replying, dianasan. Unlike the wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria) that I prune back drastically every year, the Blue Moon just needs pruning when it strays from your support a little. By the way, my Chinese wisteria had quite a bit of winter kill on it this year, but not a bit with the Blue Moon!

  • dianasan
    13 years ago

    Hey, arctictropical. My wisteria just finished blooming. Considering it's still so young and the damage from voles in the winter, it was still pretty spectacular to me.

    I've viewed several videos on Youtube about how to prune wisteria, but I'll follow your advice and go easy and not prune it back too much.

    However, I'd like to know if I need to deadhead the spent blooms. I noticed today that a lot of them are growing seedpods. I guess these should be removed?

  • v1rt
    13 years ago

    Hey Kevin,

    Glad to see your Wisteria again. It is gorgeous! Do you have a non-close-up shot of it?

    Is the blue moon really that fragrant? Is it as strong as the lilacs?

  • jaqola
    11 years ago

    UGH, you all really make me sick! lol1 just kidding, i have had a wisteria growing for almost nine years! no blooms nothing but lotsa lush leaves and it got out of control on me last fall and is taking over the white birch, it has grown such a thick trunk that ii has managed to nearly break the arch lol! Any suggestions?

  • arctictropical
    11 years ago

    Hi jaqola. You must have an asian variety of wisteria, which can take up to 15-20 years before they will bloom sometimes. I have some asian wisteria that have survived my winters, but they have serious die-back most years, and really haven't bloomed yet for me even though I have had them for at least 15 years. The 'Blue Moon' wisteria that I purchased as one gallon plants had flowers on them when I bought them. 'Blue Moon' blooms on new wood, so they ALWAYS bloom every year, and have no die back. Some American varieties don't have the best fragrance, but 'Blue Moon's fragrance is quite pleasant, even though it is not as sweet as it's asian cousins.

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