Hi all, Wisterias can be a lovely feature on a garden wall or house, but they do need a little love and encouragement to show a great display of flowers in Spring. January or February is a great time to cut back the whippy growth and shape before this years new growth begins.
People have a misconception that Wisterias are a nightmare to prune. This is not so. As we are in a quiet period this is the perfect time to really cut back those overgrown stems, growing into the guttering, or worse, around the Satellite dish!
So, a few basic pointers on how to prune. In January or February, prune these right back to around the 3rd or 4th bud up from the main stem. This may look drastic but trust me. As soon as spring hits, the Wisteria will shoot into life. Once flowering in Spring has come to an end, this is a good time to do a second prune. July or even August is a good time for this. However, do not be so harsh on the cut back this time. Depending on how large you want the climber to grow, I always look, on average, to cut back to around the 6th leaf, from the start of each branch. This helps the new growth mature as a stem for next years flower buds.
A few careful tips when pruning :
1. Watch out for those branches/stems they are like whips and can easily leave a mark or even a cut. Even I got caught across the face last year.
2. As they can grow quite tall always make sure your ladder is secure before climbing. Simple I know, but again an easy mistake to make.
3. Always use a sharp pair of secateurs, loppers or shears. We always want a clean cut on the stems to help them healing more quickly.