The Wisteria - A study in patience

 
A member or the pea family the wisteria vine can be a very interesting bonsai subject.  They can be prolific flowerers but may be temperamental.   The plant was named after a 18th century anatomy professor Casper Wistar who taught at the University of Pennsylvania.  There are two species out of ten that are native to the Southern portion of North America the other eight are eastern Asian. 

They are very vigorous growers, quite hardy and are known for their longevity.  The heavily scented flowers are small but clustered like that of a pea and come in a boundless variety of colors.  The bark is smooth and light and the vines tend to grow in a tangled mass if left untrained.  Some plants may not produce blooms for ten to fifteen years if started from seed, which makes them a bonsai specimen for the ever patient.  The Chinese wisteria is the most commonly seen in gardens probably because it blooms sooner than the other varieties. 

Since wisteria are a member of the pea family they can assimilate nitrogen from the atmosphere.  Feeding wisteria with a nitrogen fertilizer will increase growth at the expense of flower production.  The root system is delicate and can make repotting a challenge.  If disturbed too often or roughly, they will perish.  It has been found that if they are left root bound, they tend to flower more often and easily. They are ardent water lovers and since they require direct sunlight one must be vigilant that the soil is not allowed to dry.  They will propagate from cuttings and also produce seed pods after flowering that can be used to start new plants. 

They bonsai wisteria is best displayed cascading their heavily flowered vines.  The style most commonly used is the informal upright with a thick canopy of weeping limbs.  The windswept look of the cascading style is also quite stunning making the plant appear to be forever blown by the wind.   Wisteria make beautiful examples of flowering bonsai but do have their idiosyncrasies that can challenge even the most patient bonsai horticulturist.