Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Silky wisteria bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Silky wisteria, Japanese silky wisteria (Wisteria brachybotrys).

More about silky wisteria

About Silky wisteria

Wisteria brachybotrys · also called Silky wisteria, Japanese silky wisteria · flowering

Silky wisteria is a vigorous Japanese climbing shrub prized for its large, sweetly fragrant lavender-white flower clusters in spring. It flowers more reliably than W. sinensis when young. Train on a strong pergola or wall in full sun; prune twice yearly to keep it in check and encourage blooms.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Most often caused by insufficient sunlight, excessive nitrogen fertiliser, or plants that are still juvenile (Wisteria can take 7–10 years from seed to bloom; grafted plants flower sooner). Prune in late summer to encourage flower-bud formation.

The reasons silky wisteria isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming silky wisteria traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding silky wisteria a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get silky wisteria to flower

Maximise sun. Give silky wisteria the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for silky wisteria and get the feeding right with the silky wisteria fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Silky wisteria flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full silky wisteria care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Silky wisteria blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my silky wisteria flower?

Silky wisteria blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make silky wisteria bloom?

Give silky wisteria the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does silky wisteria normally bloom?