A Difficult Wisteria indeed .......

Thanks for this I will give mine a reprieve .......

If it's any consolation the buds on your plant look like flower buds and not leaf buds. They shold get longer and start to look like bunches of grapes, then you will know for sure. This early in the year it is almost definitely flower not leaf as the leaf growth tends to happen after the flower. In the future, always buy a plant with buds on it as Buzzbee says they can take up to 10 years to flower. Keep at it, you will be rewarded one day. I would read up on pruning, you need to do it twice yearly and there is a knack to it

Thanks for your comments : ]

I have a very old wisteria planted in the ground which flowers gloriously every year. We keep hacking it back in the summer otherwise one day it might trap us in the house. I try to prune according to the book around August/September or even later. The flower buds always come. We don't usually get flower buds starting until April (late April if cold winter). Normally it flowers in May. We don't feed it. Your buds look a bit like flower buds, but it is extremely early. I'm no expert I'm just speaking from my own experience.
Buzbee is right, I also have read that they can take years to come into flower. but I also know people who say they have had flowers on a young one. I know there are different types, Japanese and Chinese, but don't know whether they have different flowering habits.

I am very hopeful as you say it is very early for buds but this is sited on the south facing house wall and it has been very sunny ( well up untill now anyways).I wondered it might be due to it being in a tub .Thanks Julez

What feed are you giving it? If it is high in nitrgoen, you are encouraging it to grow. For flowers, try giving a high potash feed

hello julez0 i have a wisteria sinensis chinese wisteria mine flowered after six years, you have got it in the right place on the south facing wall.
Be patient and you will be rewarded well, open the bedroom window stand there and breath in the fantastic perfume.
I have read thatthe flower buds can be eaten by birds but have not seen this this on mine, keep a close eye on it they soon run away up telephone lines and anything else they can grab.

Hi Julezo bit late answering but Andrea right sure they are flower buds.Bought one last year only a foot tall and coverered in buds flowered well despite size.You may have seen pictures of old cottages dripping with long flowers -racemes -? not a leaf in sight.This due to correct pruning to stop excessive leaf growth and promote flowering. Cut all those new wispy bits back to about 6" in summer and if grown as far as you want can stop end branches by c
utting them off too.In winter -dont do now although feels like winter-
side shoots can be cut back to 3-4". Sadly it is possible to buy dud wisterias that have no chance of flowering and 10 years should be a well established beauty not waiting for first flower! They do have quite a root system so prehaps those in pots will take longer.Good luck you will get flowers this year and just tip for anyone thinking of buying wisteria buy one you can see has flower buds developing in branch junctions before it becomes a mass of leaf growth.Mine only cost a fiver being so small but lots of buds.

just read your answer and thanks . Looking more and more like flower racemes each week .Funny but this plant does not seem to produce wispy growth at all .Thanks again regards Julez