Grow Your Own Magazine

need some advice on wisteria please... we have one growing over a shed in the garden. its a very old shed (and presumably quite an old wisteria) and most of the plant is now growing inside the shed, having weaselled its way in through the gaps. can I chop it back really hard and try again to get it go over the outside? its got loads of buds on it at the mo. thanks in advance

We had a vey big wisteria that grew over our arbor, until the arbor fell down in the wind. (and went throuh the kitchen window ). We had to cut the wisteria right back to the main trunk and it sprouted again in a few months. I think it was alte summer when we cut it back, it was full of leaves and still had a few flowers on it.

You need to leave in a main leader or two as a framework but even these can be cut back to just after a bud. All of the side shoots should be cut back to 3 or 4 buds in the late winter to produce flowering spurs. If you dont mind sacrificing most of this years flowers you can do it now.

In late summer you can cut back most of the unruly growth and tie in the main leaders where you want them as these are your frame work for future years. Anytime from February to March you then cut back all of the side shoots as previously mentioned, to 3 or 4 buds and then sit back and watch it flower.

Mine is trained across the front of our house and we enjoy 300 plus flowers every year by pruning as above. It will be in full flower in about 2 weeks.

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Kindest regards, David.

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updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs