Amethyst Falls Wisteria

Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’

Description & Overview

Amethyst Falls Wisteria is perfect for smaller spaces, this gorgeous twining vine grows at about a third of the rate of Asian wisteria. Blooms at an early age, with its lightly fragrant purple racemes weeping gracefully downward. Use in containers for porches or patios, train up an arbor or trellis, or as a small free-standing tree.

Core Characteristics

Suggested Uses:

• Border (through medium sized shrubs to act as groundcover),
• Container gardens (again, to act as groundcover or keep the vine contained),
• Cut flower garden (flowers are beautiful and make nice additions to any bouquet),
• Espalier (there is not much depth in the z-direction but it grows full in the x and y directions),
• Ground cover (for areas where grass can be out of the question or some color is wanted); just don’t trellis it. Even in shady areas!
• Privacy screen (adds beauty and density to a fence or trellis),
• Specimen (showy flowers are enough to attract anyone’s attention and create a focal point in any garden),
• Urban garden (similar reasoning as espalier, this vine does not take up as much space and can tolerate limited horizontal area as long as there is room for vertical growth),
• Woodland garden (while not a native, some species can still make a nice addition or climb tree trunks if the garden is near the woods)

Wildlife Value:

Twisting vines are perfect for nesting birds. Flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.

Maintenance Tips:

Prune in late winter or early spring to promote vigorous new growth and strong blooms. Vines need regular pruning to help control their size and direct their growth.

Pests/Problems:

Wisteria in general have no known serious issues.

Most plants can be prone to common, ornamental (non-lethal) issues caused by various environmental conditions. Wisteria may be susceptible to wilt/stem rot (potentially fatal), powdery mildew, leaf spots, rust, and viruses. Potential insect pests include aphids, vine weevils, slugs, snails, scale, and earwigs. Watch for spider mites. Alleviate these common issues with over-the-counter insecticides or pesticides.

Leaf Lore:

This cultivar is also known as American Wisteria, Kentucky Wisteria, or Texas Wisteria. It boasts smaller leaves and flowers than other varieties but is increasingly drought tolerant and deer resistant. Unlike most of the other wisteria, Amethyst Falls often blooms in its first year. It can be found naturally in thickets, swampy woods, and pond edges throughout the eastern US. The seed pods ripen in late summer and are toxic to people.

The name Wisteria honors Caspar Wistar, professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania. The name frutescens means shrubby or woody.

Companion Plants:

Rose, Daylily, Salvia, Shasta Daisy, Phlox

All these plants are summer bloomers to offset the spring blooming wisteria, except the roses. Roses make a nice color contrast and keep the roots in the shade as do all the perennials. All the plants listed attract pollinators.

AMETHYST FALLS WISTERIA BENCHCARD