PlantFiles: Evergreen Wisteria
Millettia reticulata

I tried to grow this plant for several years. After about 5 new plants one finally took. It is in a protected location on both the West and South sides. It does not stay evergreen but grows and blooms beautifully. The first few plants I tried in less protected areas and they did not come back the following spring. The one I have now has been growing and thriving for 10 years. I posted a picture I took today, 10/13/12, after it had lost most of it's blooms for this year.
I'm zone 7 and it is not rated hardy for this zone.

I have had excellent luck with this plant. I planted one on either side of an arbor 5 to 8 years ago. I have cut it back each year to be able to walk through the arbor, but it continues to bloom for months and months. This year it produced hundreds of seeds. Best started if you soak them in warm water overnight before planting. I have heard of some that sand them with an emery board. I am pretty far south, and they stay green for me all year. . Don't have a clue why someone would say they stink. They smell is great

Love Love Love this plant . I have a five year old specimen growing on a gazebo in my front yard it looks AMAZING when in bloom . The deer leave it alone and the armadillos dont dig around it either . Here it looses all its leaves in the winter but covers itself in foliage in spring .

The Evergreen Wisteria in my garden is 3 years old and growing and blooming beautifully. It even weathered the snows of the past winter.

We have two of these. They flank the sides of our carport and are just gorgeous. We live southeast of New Orleans. The leaves do mostly drop off in the winter but they come back thicker and fuller every year. Ours is full of blooms at the moment and they smell wonderful. I can't imagine why someone would say they "stink to high heaven." The flowers' scent is similar to a Confederate Jasmine in my opinion, but not as strong.

Only neutral at the moment. I took several cuttings from my parent's home in Houston, TX. Only one rooted but it has begun putting on new leaves. I plan to keep it in my greenhouse this winter and plant it in my yard in early spring.

I also have a Texas Mountain Laurel that is only 3-3 1/2 ft tall. It hasn't bloomed for me yet and this year developed a fasciation on one of the stems. Wondering what effect that will have on it's future growth.

This is a question: A comment says that this plant stinks to "high heaven".....what is the stink like? skunk? onions? garbage? Also, I live on a salt water canal.....can this plant handle salt air? Thanks a bunch for any help you can give me, as I am fairly new to southern gardening. By the way, I live in zone 10.

I have two Evergreen Wisteria that are doing very well in GA. Last fall, I planted them in "full" sun in my backyard, each at the base of a pillar to our pergola. I chose this plant because of the almost evergreen, glossy, wax leaves and because of the dark purple color and grape-like cluster of the flower. I wanted something that would drape from the pergola rafters like grapes would giving it sort of a Tuscany look. Anyway, I live 50 miles directly north of Atlanta, GA. During the winter, the leaves fell off and the vines turned grey. In the early spring, I checked to see if they were still wick. Most were. The ones that were not, I cut off. Then, I waited. It was worth it. Here it is early Sept and they are flurishing dispite the attempts by my labradoodle to dig a hole to China through the roots and the lack of water to the area. When I planted them, I used a potting soil/red clay mix and covered the base with mulch. I water them every other day or as needed and fertilize once a month. They have grown about three feet in height since l first planted them. Now that their roots have dug into the soil, I feel certain that by this time next year, they will have reached their intended height and purpose: They should be a beautiful, grapey, draping, flowering vine on my pergola.

I've had this plant for about six years and it blooms beautifully every summer but it stinks to high heaven and it does drop it leaves at first freeze. So it is not really "evergreen" in Crowley TX

I bought this plant in August of this year. I live in zone 7 B
I'm not sure how big this plant gets, other than height. Mine is growing right next to the house. I had a Jasmine vine there and had to pull it out, because it was growing up into the gutters. Will this be easier to control. Appreciate any advice. Thanks

I have had this plant growing in College Station for about 2 years now. I love its leaves and being able to have one evergreen on my arbor for when other vines loose leaves in the winter. Only problem is, I can't seem to encourage it to bloom. Could it be a soil pH problem? Our soil here is pretty alkaline, I believe, and I know this plant likes acid soils. Any ideas on encouraging the pretty flowers?? The plant seems pretty healthy otherwise. Thanks!

I bought 2 of these about a month ago and have had them in the plastic pots. They seemed to do well with sporatic watering! I just put them in the ground today, so I hope they will like where I placed them and do well this winter! Last winter we had single-digit temps and ice for a week, so here's hoping!

I love mine too. I just found out that I don't have to bring it in every winter. I am wondering if anytone has started it from cuttings?

I have been growing this "wisteria" for 4 years in lower zone 8, with several 20-degree freezes, with no problems. However, every year in mid-spring (right now, May) I have a leaf fall and think this is the end of the plant. It seems to be either not enough water, or, now, too much water. I am now trying a fungicide because every year I panic - this is a beautiful vine that graces my backyard arbor with an almost overpowering fragrance in June. I'd hate to lose it, so if there are suggestions, please publish!

I bought this plant 5 years ago and it has givin me great pleasure. I placed it next to an arbor covering a swing and it has filled out beautifully. I get many comments on it. I didn't realize it was an evergreen and thought I was special because it didn't lose many leaves during the past winters.

Wendy

I have grown this vine for several years and it has done very well in zone 8 (central Texas). The flowers are very pretty - in fact, I have had several school groups make some of their school pictures with these wonderful purple flowers as a background. I would highly recommend this plant. It requires very little maintenance and is not invasive at all.

Fragrant, hardy, and unusual. Mine are perfectly hardy in zone 8, and most years remain evergreen. In years with colder winters, it temporarily looses it's leaves.

This is a very beautiful plant that blooms with deep purple flowers that resemble Wisteria. It blooms all summer until December here. It sets seeds late in the year. It is not invasive. It gets fairly big, but does not climb like Wisterias.
The leaves are rich looking and the entire plant looks great.

This plant has been grown with beautiful results for five years in hunt texas with temps. in single digits

David