Wisteria is a beautiful vining plant which fascinates me, mostly because my surname means “among the wisteria”. However, I never knew how hardy wisteria was until very recently, so it holds even more symbolism for me now. The blossoms on a wisteria vine are absolutely gorgeous, but it turns out that the Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) are invasive when planted in gardens and forests in the United States. Evidently, the root system of a wisteria plant can extend up to one mile, which means that wisteria vines in yards across a neighborhood are most likely from a single specimen.

Here is a great video explanation of what non-native wisteria plants do in U.S. soil:

Spring Island Trust

If you live in the United States and are considering planting wisteria, you might want to consider American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), because it is far less aggressive than its Chinese or Japanese counterparts. Interestingly enough, the type of wisteria which is most commonly planted in American gardens is the Japanese version, and the wisteria plant which adorns the security gate where I live is the Japanese variety. That seems fitting for me, considering the meaning of my last name and the fact that it is a Japanese name!