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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Getting wisteria to flower?

6 replies

Jericha · 13/01/2022 10:20

We have inherited a wisteria from the previous owners of our house. We've lived here about a year and last spring/summer it grew very fast but only leaves. I cut back the whippy bits late august and can see it's got new leaf buds on it now, but nothing that looks like flower buds (from Google, I've no prior wisteria experience!).

It's pretty woody, about 5-6ft tall with spread of about 5 metres. I read they should be west or south facing as they need a lot of sun to flower. It's east facing but I do park my car in front of it which is likely to cast shadow for the part of the day the roots/trunk would get the sun. I am planning on training it round a corner where the growth will end up south west facing (but only part of it).

Any ideas on how to make it flower? The previous owners were very much knowledgeable gardeners so I'm hoping there's a chance I can get it to bloom.

Wise MN gardeners, do you think simply moving my car and training half of it towards SW facing may help?

OP posts:
Bramshott · 13/01/2022 10:24

I think the key with wisteria is to prune twice a year - cut the whippy growth off in August (as you did) and then in around Feb prune all the offshoots back to 2 buds or so. Mind you, I think it's also very weather dependent - my wisteria was prolific and beautiful in 2020 with the early spring, and very disappointing in 2021.

Jericha · 13/01/2022 10:42

Thanks @Bramshott, will do that. Fingers crossed for bloom friendly weather!

OP posts:
mewkins · 13/01/2022 10:44

I agree that the sun helps! Mine is west facing and flowers well twice a year. It loves the sun. I would give it a hard chop back too.

Jericha · 13/01/2022 10:59

Thanks @mewkins that sounds lovely! Right, going to give it another haircut then start parking elsewhere to give it some more sun. It's actually south east facing so should get a decent bit of sun if I stop getting in the way Blush

OP posts:
AllotmentTime · 13/01/2022 11:21

If you’re still in touch with the previous owners, ask whether it flowered for them. Wisteria can take up to 20 years…
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/wisteria/growing-guide

Cluckycluck · 13/01/2022 11:24

We had a wisteria at our previous house and it didn't flower at all in the 5 years we were there. We pruned and did everything as we should but it was never more than leaves

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