Wisteria Coloring Pages

A Purple Shower! The Wisteria Flower

Wisteria is a plant that blooms with lots of long, hanging purple flowers in spring. When they sway in the wind, they look so pretty, just like a shower of flowers!

Where the Japanese Name Comes From

There are a few stories about how Wisteria got its Japanese name, "Fuji".

• One story says it comes from "Fukichiru," which means blowing away, because the flower petals blow in the wind.

• Another story says it comes from "Fuchi," a word for long vines, or from words for purple clouds.

English Name

In English, it is called "Wisteria." People all over the world love this name!

When Can You See It?

The best time to see Wisteria is usually from late April to early May.

• It is often in full bloom during Japan's big spring holiday, so you might spot it on fun trips.

• It starts to bloom right after the cherry blossoms finish, like taking the next turn!

Where Can You Find It?

Wisteria grows all over Japan, but the famous spots have special wooden frames called "Wisteria trellises."

• Famous places like Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi and Kawachi Wisteria Garden in Fukuoka welcome visitors from all over the world.

• Sometimes wild Wisteria vines wrap around other trees and bloom right in the mountains!

The Secret of the Flower Shape

Wisteria is part of the pea family. If you look closely, each tiny flower is shaped like a butterfly.

• The flowers bloom one by one, starting from the top of the long bunch.

• They smell very sweet, so bees and other insects love to visit for sweet nectar.

They Live a Very Long Time!

Wisteria plants can live for a super long time.

• In Japan, some huge Wisteria trees are over 1,000 years old!

• When people take good care of them every year, they keep growing pretty flowers for hundreds of years.

Flower Meanings of Wisteria

Wisteria has sweet, traditional Japanese flower meanings.

• "Kindness" and "Welcome"

• "Never let go" and "Drunk on love." These words share a gentle feeling, like welcoming someone very special with a warm heart.

How to Pick Colors: Purple Shading

When you think of Wisteria, you think of purple! Try mixing different colors together.

• Main colors: Try mixing purple, light purple, and pink.

• White Wisteria: When you color white flowers, use light blue or light gray just for the shadows. That makes the pure white flowers pop!

• Stems and leaves: Color the leaves peeking out with bright green. It gives your picture a fresh spring feel!

Make a Shower of Flowers

Here are tips for coloring big Wisteria trellises and tunnels.

• Show distance: Color flower bunches close to you brightly. Color the bunches in the back a little lighter. This makes the tunnel look really long!

• Sunlight: Mix a little yellow or orange deep inside the tunnel. It will look like warm sunlight is shining through!

Color Each Flower Carefully

Here are tips for close-up pictures of Wisteria flowers.

• Trace the petals: The petals look like butterflies! Color darker on the outside and lighter on the inside. This makes them look soft and 3D!

• Coloring buds: The unopened buds at the bottom tip look more real if you color them a darker purple than the open flowers.

Make the Tree Bark Look Real

Wisteria trunks are bumpy and strong!

• Trunk pattern: Mix brown, gray, and dark brown along the lines going up and down.

• The flowers are soft colors. Using a dark color for the trunk makes your whole picture look cool and neat!

Add a Sweet Smell to Your Picture

• Draw little sparkles: Draw tiny yellow or white sparkles around the flowers. It makes your picture feel like a sweet scent is floating by!

• Color the sky: Color the sky peeking between the flowers with a clear light blue. It will make the purple Wisteria shine even brighter!

Feel the amazing power of Wisteria trees that bloom for hundreds of years, and create your very own purple shower of flowers!

It grows by stretching out its vines!

Wisteria looks like a tree with a thick trunk, but it is actually a type of vine plant. It grows longer and longer, reaching higher and higher by wrapping itself around park pergolas or large trees nearby.

A tunnel of flowers blooming like a waterfall

It is special because many small light purple, pink, or white flowers gather together and hang downward. When you step under a Wisteria pergola in full bloom, it feels like you are inside a waterfall of flowers or a tunnel, and it smells very sweet and nice.

It is actually part of the bean family!

In autumn after the flowers fall, big bean pods hang from the branches. Wisteria belongs to the pea family, just like green peas and soybeans, so it grows impressive pods that look like giant green beans.

Some twist to the right, and some twist to the left!?

There are two main types of Wisteria often seen in Japan: "Noda Wisteria" and "Mountain Wisteria." They have a super cool feature! You can tell them apart by the way their vines twist—either clockwise (right-twisting) or counterclockwise (left-twisting) when looked at from above.