You do know (I hope) that seed grown wisteria takes forever to flower?? As much as 15-20 years in many cases. If your little seedling is not performing up to snuff, I'd consider replacing it with a purchased grafted selection that you can plant out directly now and hope to see flowers from in the next season or two.

I do know it can take a long time to bloom, but that's okay. It is a seedling from the famous wisteria vine in Sierra Madre, California so that makes it meaningful to me even if I never live to see it flower. However, any idea why its growth has stalled?

My grown up wisteria doesn't grow steadily. It may be fine.

I once tried growing a wisteria seedling - indoors - with the thought of maybe trying to 'bonsai' it. I gave up :-) Do you have Peter Valder's book? I checked what he had to say about raising them from seed. There wasn't a lot but these two comments [Valder - page 143-144] might be of interest:

- 'The raising of seed is a very simple matter. They may be planted as soon as ripe, about 2 cm. deep in a freely draining mixture, or at any time thereafter. In my experience the seeds exhibit no dormancy. Once temperatures are warm enough, the the seeds germinate and the seedlings may be potted on as soon as desired, provided they are kept under mist or shaded and in a humid atmosphere until they are re-established.'

- 'But while it is sometimes suggested that such plants [seed-grown plants] may take years to flower, flower poorly, or produce flowers obscured by foliage, such prognostications are unduly discouraging. Observations of such plants, whether deliberately raised to blooming or originating from grafting stocks which have outgrown the scion, suggest that in most instances the outcome is satisfactory.'

Could his comments re the seedlings needing shade and humid atmosphere be relevant to yours not growing well...?

Re the second comment - from what I've seen, seed-grown plants or ones from root suckers have invariably had inferior (smaller, pale) flowers. Perhaps Valder's Australian experience makes a difference in that outcome.... Hopefully your experience will match his!

Thanks woodyoak! Very useful comments! Since I posted raccoons dug up the plant and I found it strewn in the yard the next day with just a few roots. I potted it back up, expecting the worst! That was a month ago. However, despite looking horrible I think I see a new set of leaves now sprouting from it! Maybe patience is the key!