If you don’t know how to prune Wisteria, it can be daunting. Known as temporamental plants that will stop flowering at the drop of a hat, you might be concerned about the damage pruning it yourself might do.
My experience with Wisteria has been quite the opposite. When pruned correctly they flower well and are an absolute star of the spring garden here in Buckinghamshire.
Pruning is done twice a year. Summer pruning, in July or August, reduced the new growth and also provided an opportunity to tie in any wild stems. Come winter it is pruned harder, back to two or three buds. Telling the difference between flowering and leaf buds can be a little tricky if its your first time, but if you leave it a little later than the books say the buds swell and its soon apparent which ones are leaf nodes.
Whilst on the subject of Wisteria pruning, lets address some common questions I get asked:
Can I cut back my wisteria while I have work done on my house? – Yes! Wisteria can be hard pruned, practically to the ground in the some cases, though it may sulk for a year or two before reflowering.
My wisteria hasn’t flowered, ever! Help! – There’s only one solution to this that I know of. Buy a Wisteria in flower. This is where they get their bad reputation from, but if you buy one in flower your chances of it reflowering next year are much higher.
Need help with your Wisteria? Give me a call today and I’ll make sure it gets the care and attention it requires.