Am I asking for trouble with wisteria?

[WildIing]

It’s probably hard to picture but I have a big garden that’s quite long. There’s also a large patio area that has concrete slabs but has two unslabbed areas that are beds with shrubs and some small trees. There’s a large wooden type of arbor that connects the two beds. It’s a bit like the attached picture but has horizontal lats to the side, not the diagonal trellis in the photo. It’s made of treated wood that’s about 6’ - 8’ thick.

I’ve just bought two grafted wisteria sinensis 'Prolific' with the intention of setting one in each of the beds, and growing it up along the arbor. They grow anti clockwise and have the horizontal but I’ll need to add wire and then train.

I know that often advice is to not grow wisteria near houses as the roots can be aggressive but has anyone grown on a patio like this, planted directly into the ground?

I have never heard of wisteria being a problem we have it growing over our house porch and it is very beautiful. It was there when we moved in more than 20 years ago and no problem.

@Jjjayfee

I have never heard of wisteria being a problem we have it growing over our house porch and it is very beautiful. It was there when we moved in more than 20 years ago and no problem.

That sounds beautiful- I just love well-established wisteria against a wall/porch.

There’s so much conflicting info. Lots of gardeners and websites say that the roots of so aggressive, they can damage walls. Then again, the god that is Monty Don points out that roots only grow in soil so if there’s no soil under your wall/house, or there’ll be no roots!

We had it growing over the arbour in the yard, with a hammock under it. Best thing ever.
I miss that house!

My parents had a beautiful and very well established wisteria going up the back of their house, planted into the patio, and it never gave them any trouble at all.

Totally worth it. Best scent in the universe. Doesn’t grow where I live and I miss it.

Wisteria is one climber I'd be less worried about growing up a house wall to be honest. You do have to keep on top of the pruning though, but you need to do that anyway to get a really good flower display. There are a few others I wouldn't touch with a bargepole. Ivy for instance, and jasmine. We really have to keep on top of the ivy, and we once had a jasmine that decided to make its way into the loft. That had to go.

There’s so many houses with huge wisterias where I am….and the houses seem fine….

Anyone grown one where there is partial sunlight. This is the only place for me to have it. But I know they like the sun.

I think it will grow, but to flower well it needs sun. There are other climbers that do better in partial shade.

@JustJam4Tea. Do you have any suggestions for something else ? The area only gets the suns for a few hours first thing in the morning.

@Paranoidandroidmarvin There are loads of Clematis that like shade or partial shade, this was at the top of my Google search, butthere were loads and loads. www.rootsplants.co.uk/collections/climbing-plants-for-shade?gclid=CjwKCAjwiuuRBhBvEiwAFXKaNGeRK3ucAij_EiVFQrMVW3fioCXFPHbE3IWMP69xpBuxlCUYXX7wfxoC20wQAvD_BwE

@WildIing, the whole of the back of my house is covered in wisteria which then grows out over a Pergola. The back of the house is South East. Front is North West and covered in climbing Roses.

[quote Paranoidandroidmarvin]@JustJam4Tea. Do you have any suggestions for something else ? The area only gets the suns for a few hours first thing in the morning.[/quote]
There are some nice roses that will cope in that situation - e.g. souvenir du docteur jamain which will grow on a north facing wall and I have Wollerton Old Hall in a similar spot and that does very well.

There's a very old wisteria in my back garden near the fence (see pic). The roots didn't cause any issues at all when the concrete fence posts were put in last year.

The only thing I can add to this debate is that I had a Wisteria growing up a laburnham tree and when they both flowered it was like being in heaven.

One day the Wisteria died. Just like that. No apparent reason. I was very upset.

I have been confused by online stuff about wisteria over the years and have come to the conclusion that it must grow differently elsewhere - I'm fairly sure that when I was reading up on it most/all of the invasive root horror stories were from America.

My parents have one about 1.5m from their front wall and it's fine. As pp said - loads of houses have them growing right next to the wall for decades with no issues in this country.

[quote Paranoidandroidmarvin]@JustJam4Tea. Do you have any suggestions for something else ? The area only gets the suns for a few hours first thing in the morning.[/quote]
eu.davidaustinroses.com/collections/ideal-for-climbers-for-north-facing-walls

A rose would be lovely - they have to be trained though. And there are clematis and evergreen hydrangea climbing ones that would do.