Chinese wisteria

The flowers of Chinese wisteria open in early summer, arising from bare stems as the foliage does not appear until the flowers are over. The species has lavender flowers, but named varieties are available in shades of violet or white. It can be grown traditionally on the wall of a large house, with wall nails used to hold the framework of main stems in place, or allowed to scramble through a big tree where it looks most spectacular as well as being maintenance free. Like most wisterias, this is slow to get established and may take several years to start flowering. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit (AGM).