Pruning wisteria
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Home & Garden
Wisterias may take some work in the garden, but in bloom the plants are well worth it. See the tips below for the best results.
A gardener’s advice
- Wisteria is pruned twice a year: initially around midsummer, then again in winter to stimulate the formation of short sideshoots that will bear summer flowers. Plants left unpruned tend to put their energy into producing leafy growth, not flowers.
- Cut back to 2 or 3 buds those sideshoots that were shortened to 5 or 6 buds from the main stem in summer.
- While you’re attending to the sideshoots you can cut back any long shoots that have developed since summer at the same time. You should prune them to around 15cm (6in).
- If your wisteria plant is shy to flower, try feeding it with sulphate of potash towards the end of winter.
