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Sunday - June 13, 2010

From: La Quinta, CA
Region: California
Topic: Vines
Title: Will wisteria grow in LaQuinta CA?
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have moved to the desert, near Palm Springs, CA from Omaha NE where I was an avid gardener. I would like to know if wisteria will grow in this environment, with temps up to 120 several weeks each summer. If it will grow, when could I expect it to bloom here?? Thank you for your help!

ANSWER:

Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria, the only wisteria native to North America, is not, however, native to California. It is native to the Eastern United States as far west as east Texas, USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8. Your location in Riverside County appears to be Zone 9b to 10a.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8) , Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Rich, moist to mesic, neutral to slightly acid soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay.
Conditions Comments: Prefers a good loamy soil in a sunny south or southwest facing position, sheltered from cold winds and from early morning sun on frosty mornings. Plants can become chlorotic on alkaline soils. Prefers a rich soil, but some gardeners feel too rich a soil results in too much leaf growth. Tolerates seasonal flooding.

Not only do we not know when wisteria would bloom there, we don't think it would survive its first summer. We do not recommend plants that are non-native to North America and to the area in which they are being grown, but just out of curiosity, we looked at this About.com website on Chinese wisteria. Looks like it grows under the same conditions as the American wisteria.

From our Native Plant Database:

Wisteria frutescens