I am moving into a house surrounded by a wire fence. About 20 feet of it is covered in out-of-control wisteria. I am interested in pruning and planting starts at even intervals along the fence. Any suggestions on the best way to do that? Thanks~Becky Kansas
I am sorry that you did not get any replies to your question. Have a look at this good article at Plantamnesty.com. What you need is renovative pruning. Here is what I would do in such a situation: 1. Through the rest of the grwoing season, cut back all new shoots to less than 4-6 nodes (leaves) length. 2. Assess the situation in the winter, when the leaves have all fallen off. You can then see the "skeleton" and structure of the plant more clearly and decide what you would keep and what to prune off. My advice is to thin out the plant as much as possible, and only leave a maximum of 2-3 main vines - even one would be sufficient. 3. Once you have made a decision, show no mercy. Prune off everything that you don't want to keep. 4. In the next season, continue to shorten all new shoots to less than 6 leaves. Only allow new shoots to grow if you need new leaders to fill a gap or extend the area covered, . I would advise against planting more than one wisteria - one is usually enough.
Hi, I agree with the Weekend Gardners response. I have a Wisteria and as W.G. stated, have no mercy. I cut mine back each winter and have to control it during the growing season.
I'm in agreement with Weekend Gardener and PlasticPlantKiller. One Wisteria is enough for what you want and the recommendations for pruning and filling in the blank spaces are good. I have only one Wisteria which is shaped into a shrub as a focal point. It takes judicious pruning after the spring bloom cycle and periodic cutting back of long shoots and shoots from the root throughout the growing season. Good Luck
