When it comes to climbing plants, wisteria is a real showstopper. Properly looked after, wisteria will give you the most amazing flower display come spring. But left to its own devices, it can run wild!
Charlie’s stepping in to show you how to prune and care for your wisteria to make sure it’s at its enchanting best this springtime.
In Europe, wisteria is called the “10 and 2 plant” because you prune it just before it flowers in February and again in October.
But in Australia, it grows so vigorously that you need to prune it throughout the year. To maximise the flowers, you need to prune it just before it blooms. This is to promote growth, and ensure your beautiful flowers are not being cut off during the pruning process.
How to prune wisteria
To prune, simply cut back the growth to two or three buds (when the plant is leafless) to tidy it up and ensure the flowers are bigger and more impressive.
The one thing to remember when you prune is that your aim is not to reducing the size of the plant; you’re simply trying to maximise the bloom.
Charlie’s top tips
- Make sure you don’t prune all the flowering wood off, or you will miss out on your spring flower display.
- Train your wisteria to grown in a fan shape so each bud gets the maximum sunlight.
- It can take 5 to 7 years for a wisteria to flower, so be patient with young plants.
- You can train your wisteria to grow along a veranda, espalier or over a pergola, where you’ll be rewarded with an abundance of cascading blooms.
- Regularly prune your wisteria to keep it in tip-top condition.
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