Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' — 17cm / 2L17cm / 2L
Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
White Japanese Wisteria

Wisteria floribunda 'Alba'

£26.99 £31.99 SAVE 15%
Very hardySun-lovingRHS award winnerLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £26.99

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Description

The Wisteria floribunda 'Alba', the white Japanese wisteria, is the elegant, cool-toned choice for gardeners who want the drama of wisteria in pure white. This award-winning, strong-growing climber produces some of the longest trails in the genus, fragrant racemes up to 60cm long packed with pea-flowers of clean white, softly tinged lilac at the base. Because it is a Japanese wisteria, each raceme opens gradually from the top down over a long season in late spring and early summer, so the cascades seem to lengthen day by day.

Among our hardy climbers, Wisteria 'Alba' is prized for that luminous white colour, which lifts a shady courtyard and glows at dusk. Rated RHS H6 and holding the RHS Award of Garden Merit, it is fully hardy throughout the UK and copes with cold to around -15C once established, needing no winter protection. It is deciduous, with fresh green pinnate foliage following the flowers, and twines up any strong support you provide.

Wisteria is a heavy, long-lived climber that needs strong support, so fix sturdy horizontal wires or a solid pergola before planting and tie in the young stems as they grow. Water well through the first few summers, then prune twice a year, in mid-summer and again in winter, to build flowering spurs and keep the growth in check. Its long white trails make it a serene showpiece for screening and privacy, a refined anchor for exotic borders, and a draw for spring bees among our plants for pollinators. For a rich contrast, pair it with the deep-purple double Wisteria floribunda 'Black Dragon' or the blue Wisteria sinensis 'Prolific', and browse the full hardy exotics collection to build the scheme. As with all outdoor plants, our what to expect guide explains how a garden-hardy climber looks and behaves through the seasons.

Every Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' we supply is nursery-grown, hand-selected for healthy stems and strong roots, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition ready to train.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for White Japanese Wisteria

Plant me in full sun and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About White Japanese Wisteria

Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Screening & Privacy Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H6 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −20°C

reliably hardy across the UK with no fleece needed once established.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingEast-facingSheltered

full sun ripens the wood and gives the best flowering, though it tolerates light partial shade. A warm, sheltered south or west-facing wall or pergola is ideal.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

any fertile, moist but well-drained soil, from chalk and clay to loam and sand, across the full pH range.

Watering

Water regularly through the first two or three seasons to settle the roots, keeping the soil evenly moist. Tie the twining stems into strong wires or a frame as they grow. Prune twice a year, cutting summer growth back in July or August and shortening again in winter, to build flowering spurs and keep the vigour in check. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first two or three seasons to settle the roots, keeping the soil evenly moist. Tie the twining stems into strong wires or a frame as they grow. Prune twice a year, cutting summer growth back in July or August and shortening again in winter, to build flowering spurs and keep the vigour in check.

Mature size

Height4-8 m
Spread2.5-4 m

Reaches full size in 10-20 years

Growth habit

Climbing

Flowering

May-Jun · White

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Prune twice a year: shorten this year's long sideshoots to about five leaves in July or August, then cut them back to two or three buds in winter for generous white flower trails.

Toxicity

Harmful if eaten. All parts, especially the seeds and pods, are toxic to people and pets if ingested. Wear gloves when handling and keep pruned material away from children and animals.

Native range

Japan

Family

Fabaceae

Also known as

Wisteria floribunda 'Alba'

Genus

Wisteria →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' hardy in the UK?

Yes. 'Alba' is fully hardy across the UK, rated RHS H6 and tolerant of winter cold to around -15C once established, so it needs no protection. It also holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Browse more of our fully hardy hardy climbers.

What does the white wisteria 'Alba' look like?

'Alba' carries long, fragrant racemes up to 60cm of clean white pea-flowers, softly tinged lilac at the base, opening from the top down over a long season. The luminous white glows at dusk and lifts shaded courtyards, making a cool contrast to blue or purple wisterias such as the double Wisteria floribunda 'Black Dragon'.

How big does Wisteria floribunda 'Alba' get?

It is strong-growing, reaching around 4 to 8m in height with a 2.5 to 4m spread over 10 to 20 years, and can go higher when allowed to climb into a large tree. Give it a permanent, sturdy framework from the start and prune twice a year to keep it in scale and full of flower.

What support does white wisteria need?

A mature wisteria is heavy and long-lived, so it needs a genuinely strong structure: thick horizontal wires bolted to a wall, or a solid pergola, arch or metal frame fixed before planting. The long white trails look their best where they can hang clear, which makes 'Alba' superb for screening and privacy.

When does 'Alba' flower and how do I get more blooms?

'Alba' flowers in late spring and early summer, usually May into June. For the most bloom, grow it in full sun, feed in spring with a potash-rich or flowering-shrub fertiliser rather than high-nitrogen feed, and prune twice a year, cutting summer growth to about seven leaves and shortening to two or three buds in winter.

Can white wisteria be grown in a pot or small garden?

Yes, for a few years in a large, heavy container with a strong obelisk, kept well watered and fed and pruned regularly to stay in scale. It makes a beautiful patio feature and can also be trained as a compact standard. See more of our plants for pots and patios, though in open ground it will always grow larger and flower more freely.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Wisteria floribunda 'Alba'
£26.99 £31.99