Wisteria?

[jaquettalux]

I’ll start by saying I have zero gardening knowledge so this may be a pipe dream!

Is there any way to have wisteria growing over the door / around the arch of this house? Could I plant in pots? When’s the best time of year? Any advice?

I’ve never grown wisteria, chiefly because my garden is paved and it has a reputation for not growing well in pots. Does the bed on the left reach the wall of the house? If not, could you extend it? With all that frontage, a wisteria could look lovely.

You will need to put eyes and wires up ln the wall for the wisteria to grow up and they do need quite a lot of pruning once they get going.

I also agree that they are a lot happier in the ground, especially if we keep having such hot dry summers.

You can probably get one quite cheaply as the flowering season is over.

Get the tallest and most bushy you can find/afford. Plant in the ground and separate out the strands and tie them with masonry nails to the brickwork.

It’ll take a couple of years but then will grow like crazy!!

Lovely as wisteria are, it won’t be without considerable upkeep for a fairly short albeit impressive flowering period.
A pair of small climbing roses would be less work, longer flowering. In pots I imagine as it looks pathed right up to the house? Remember plants in pots are reliant on you for food, water, position, so its important to plant something that likes the conditions for a fighting chance of success.
But personally I think thats a lovely door, and doesn’t really need anything round it. I would plant something brighter in the beds in front maybe?

It’s not for the faint hearted! It grows a mile a minute, and if you’re not careful, it will be in the windows and making itself at home. We have a beauty, but it’s in the garden 20 metres from the house, and it’s a job controlling it even there. It pops up through the lawn! So proceed, but with caution, and schedule plenty of time to keep it in order.

Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback. In light of this - and my very limited gardening knowledge and skills - I’m moving away from wisteria. Will think about some nice pots as suggested. Alternatively, a climbing rose? Would this do well in pots each side of the door? House is south facing.

I have heard and read you should only buy a wisteria that is flower as they can be a bit finicky about doing so if they weren't in the first place.

@jaquettalux If you were to grow one there, it would need to be in the ground and you need to be prepared to prune it to keep it in shape, and the encourage flowering. For the most part mine is fine left to its own devices, but every now and then I do a massive cut back and it is all good. Mine is over 30 years old so much more established.

A rose would look lovely there, just make sure you find one that would be happy with a south facing position as some aren't. You could grow an every green honeysuckle or something else and allow the rose to clamber up that. That way you will have something all year round. Just make sure the other plant doesn't flower at the same time as the rose, just to extend the flowering period.

If there is a path between the house and that border then you could have an arch across that and train it across there and then over the front of your house. Hopefully you'll get what I mean, I've not explained very well.

@jaquettalux Rough drawing next to a screenshot of your house, might take a few mins to show. Hopefully it'll show a bit clearer what I was on about

Wisteria will be up in the gutter causing mayhem before you know it and you’ll be forever up a ladder cutting it back again. Ask me how I know.

Re climbing roses, a gorgeous red one is Paul’s Scarlet Climber - a profusion of bright red blooms and long flowering period. Also Iceberg is very pretty, both fairly small flowers.

Just be aware your front door step will be constantly covered in bird poo.

I've got a wisteria in a pot in the garden and it's growing along the fence, it's gorgeous, a few flowers, but I think it's a bit pot bound. How do I get it out the pot, and into the ground without killing it .. and when is the best time do this.

OP, a few years ago I planted The Pilgrim climbing rose from David Austin. It’s a lovely pale sherbet lemon colour. It flowers multiple times a year and people literally stop outside my house to take insta photos with it. (And I don’t have a particularly green thumb.) highly recommend.

Thanks so much. Think I’m definitely converted to a rose now and I love the arch idea. Will give it some thought. Love the diagram!

Do you think the rose would do ok in a pot if necessary?

Love all the warnings about wisteria! Very grateful I may have dodged a (beautiful) bullet here!

I’ve looked this up and I think this is the potential winner! Do you think it would do ok in a pot?

Hopefully one of the lovely people on this thread can advise. It sounds beautiful!

Any time once its dormant and the ground isn’t frozen.
Keep it well watered for the first year or two once it’s in the ground - they’re pretty tough!

@jaquettalux if you go directly on the David Austin website they have a rose finder tool that you can select colour/smell/position etc but for a beginner I’d encourage you to choose “best for health” varieties, they are generally very robust specimens. I’d go for bare roots, which become available November-March ish. They always seem to establish better than pot bought ones.
Get as big a pot as you can carry, john Innes no3 and well rotted manure for soil. A nice obelisk to tie it too. Don’t feed the first year, but after that feed religiously spring and June time.
And in summer, water even if it rains, it never rains in pots!
There are good planting/pruning tutorials on the DA website too.
Peter Beale is another good rose supplier.

New Dawn climbing rose. Very chic, pale pink almost white rose and very beautiful scent.

My Pilgrim rose is planted in the ground, but I reckon it would be ok in a good sized pot. But you can also usually get a nice person on the phone at David Austen, and they’re v knowledgeable.