This one survived the winter

[WNC Bonsai]

I always have to nurse this one through the winter and protect it in March because it puts out flower buds so early. Two years ago it was hit by a late freeze that killed every flower but last year it recovered nicely and this year as you can see, it is really about to put on a show. I counted over 75 blossoms on it before I removed a few that were crowding each other out. With temps over the weekend predicted to be in the low 70s I expect it to be in full bloom by April 1. I’ll post some followup photos once it opens up fully but this will wet your appetite.

 

[johng]

I always have to nurse this one through the winter and protect it in March because it puts out flower buds so early. Two years ago it was hit by a late freeze that killed every flower but last year it recovered nicely and this year as you can see, it is really about to put on a show. I counted over 75 blossoms on it before I removed a few that were crowding each other out. With temps over the weekend predicted to be in the low 70s I expect it to be in full bloom by April 1. I’ll post some followup photos once it opens up fully but this will wet your appetite.

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very nice! I am glad the bad winter weather held off this year...the last two did significant damage in my garden. I feel like we got a nice reprieve this year

 

[JudyB]

Wow, that is stunning already. Looks like it'll be a full display for you.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Patience is a virtue! I was just driving down the road yesterday and saw an early wisteria starting to bloom. My wife told me to keep my eyes on the road

 

[gooeytek]

Love your wisteria!

I have a large one that had been growing for about 20 years on my front lawn, with a trunk that was about 14" in circumference. I had the landscapers transaplant it to the back yard 2 years ago, and most of it died off .

Currently, there are several 1" thick vines growing out of the semi-dead trunk that look to be budding, so I hope it recovers.

I have an Amethyst Falls to put in the ground once the freezing temps have passed.

 

[rockm]

Patience is a virtue! I was just driving down the road yesterday and saw an early wisteria starting to bloom. My wife told me to keep my eyes on the road

If they're blooming down that way, now is the time to collect them. They're easy to spot in the woods following those flashes of blue on the vines. April is the month they bloom here. You can find some great trunk bases if you follow the color.

OP has a great little tree and a proven bloomer--which isn't easy to do. Blooms can be iffy on them.

 

[namnhi]

Patience is a virtue! I was just driving down the road yesterday and saw an early wisteria starting to bloom. My wife told me to keep my eyes on the road

She is wise! You should listen to her.

 

[Dabbler]

That must smell amazing!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

When I collected this one it was actually growing upright but everything on one side died off and it only produced new branches on the live side. So I tilted it into the current position. I’d still like to get some movement into those vertical branches but they stiffened up pretty quick. Its companion is much taller and thicker but has only a handful of flowers this year due I assume to the two polar vortex outbreaks this winter when overnight temps hit 5 degrees F. I think this one is about 15-20 years old.

 

[yashu]

What variety is this? I just got my first wisteria last year at the end of the season (also amethyst falls) and it has just started pushing buds.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

What variety is this? I just got my first wisteria last year at the end of the season (also amethyst falls) and it has just started pushing buds.

Chinensis

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

I showed this picture to my wisteria to let it know yet another reason why I hate it.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Here it is after a few more days of warm temps. The smell is so intense it’s about to run me off the back porch!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Here’s a final shot for this year. Once it peaks the purple starts to fade in favor of a lighter shade. Also the leaf shoots are beginning to open up and extend. However as you can see almost all the blossoms are open and cascading nicely. The most common style for wisteria is to provide an upright form that allows the flowers to cascade freely. This often is in opposition to more standard bonsai styles and is why most folks will tell you that wisteria are only grown for their flowers and not for more convoluted or highly ramified styling.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

obviously it's thriving in USDA 7b, but can they tolerate 4 or 5?
A simple search said yes, but if yours can struggle with a couple cold snaps, 2 months of temps in the teens is probably too much right?
Even in a southern facing, unheated greenhouse I can't imagine it would thrive even if I did manage to keep it alive

 

[WNC Bonsai]

It’s not so much the cold killing it as the flower blossoms begin to push early and they get killed plus the leaf buds get hammered by the freeze. Last year this one and a companion both got hammered, lost all their flowers, and didn’t push out leaf buds until June as a result. In a climate that is not subject to warm periods in the 60s in February the flower buds may stay dormant long enough to get past the last spring freeze. However I end up having to move mine into the garage on those freezing nights.

 

[rockm]

obviously it's thriving in USDA 7b, but can they tolerate 4 or 5?
A simple search said yes, but if yours can struggle with a couple cold snaps, 2 months of temps in the teens is probably too much right?
Even in a southern facing, unheated greenhouse I can't imagine it would thrive even if I did manage to keep it alive

Here in the middle Atlantic states (zone 6-8ish) we're in wisteria's "sweet spot" It has become hugely invasive and grows like a weed. Farther north, it can survive, but it's not nearly as vigorous. Same for the extreme south (although it does like heat, just not too much). In Michigan, it would require some moderate protection from deep freezes and late spring cold--like an unheated garage that stays above 25 F, or cold greenhouse. As noted with the very nice specimen above, late freezes and frosts can kill off blossoms (which are the only reason to have a wisteria, as they are a pain the the rear for most of their growing season and are not picturesque bonsai for the most part). I have friends who have a huge one with a trunk as big as my thigh that flowers profusely every spring. It weighs 300 lbs and has to be moved into a cold greenhouse when frost threatens in March/April. It has lost all of its flowers a couple of times when unexpected frosts hit it.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Here in the middle Atlantic states (zone 6-8ish) we're in wisteria's "sweet spot" It has become hugely invasive and grows like a weed. Farther north, it can survive, but it's not nearly as vigorous. Same for the extreme south (although it does like heat, just not too much). In Michigan, it would require some moderate protection from deep freezes and late spring cold--like an unheated garage that stays above 25 F, or cold greenhouse. As noted with the very nice specimen above, late freezes and frosts can kill off blossoms (which are the only reason to have a wisteria, as they are a pain the the rear for most of their growing season and are not picturesque bonsai for the most part). I have friends who have a huge one with a trunk as big as my thigh that flowers profusely every spring. It weighs 300 lbs and has to be moved into a cold greenhouse when frost threatens in March/April. It has lost all of its flowers a couple of times when unexpected frosts hit it.

I'm getting the impression that it would be another tree to move back and forth in the spring time bonsai shuffle, just in the hopes that I could pull off the incredible, (but temporary) display pictured above.
Thanks fo the inside @rockm and @WNC Bonsai. I think I'll just admire them from here for now.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

You’ve pretty much got the picture. This one is small enough that it is easy to schlep around but its big brother is a back killer. Unfortunately it only has 4 flower buds this year, but here is a photo from last year. It’s about 3’ tall and I bet the pot weighs in at about 20 lbs alone.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I know I said last Wednesday would be the last photo but the flowers have lasted longer than I expected so here is one more. Note that now the color is fading to almost white but the fragrance is still there. It may be a lot of trouble to keep wisteria but the flowers are worth it in my book.