Silky Wisteria Showa-beni

A beautiful, anticlockwise-twining climber, Wisteria brachybotrys Showa-beni is a large, vigorous, woody, deciduous climber which will need strong, durable supports. This cultivar can be trained into a large, sturdy tree, on a wall or along a strong pergola; in smaller gardens, train as a half-standard. The green leaves are up to 11cm long, with eleven downy leaflets. Hanging racemes, 4-6”/10-15cm long, of lilac-pink flowers appear in summer. Wisterias need regular pruning twice a year if they are not to get out of hand, and flowering will decline;  it’s not so hard if you follow the simple RHS guidelines. Silky wisteria Showa-beni holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.