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Ask a Gardening QuestionGardening Questions & Answers: How to garden questionsTrain semi mature wisteria?

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Train semi mature wisteria?

#1 · 28th January 2023, 6:41 pm

Hello
Last year we moved and we lucky to inherit a wisteria which must be at least 10+years old. It’s growing up a fence. I would like to train some new stems onto a new frame I’m building. Should I winter prune all but the stems I want to train ? Do I leave the new stems in tact and not prime at all ? Thank you !! ??

#2 · 28th January 2023, 11:25 pm

Hi Bossiter,

A prune of Wisteria twice per year will encourage growth and flowering, January and February for winter trimming, August for the summer trim back, I don’t have a Wisteria but I trimmed back my elderly neighbours, undertaking Lees advice, and the shrub is still alive n kicking, have a look on Lee’s you tube video on pruning Wisteria, I trimmed back to the suggested 3 bud’ (winter later Feb) tied in where required, and so far so good.Hope all goes well.

Bob

#3 · 7th February 2023, 1:57 pm

Hi @bossotter

Thanks for your question on training a mature Wisteria onto a new structure.

The usual advice is to prune back to 6 buds in summer and then 3 in winter to keep a shrub flowering year after year.

If you want to train part of that over a new structure here is how I would do that with Wisteria:

Training Wisteria over a structure

Choose a suitable lateral near the structure - side shoot that's vigorous (not hard given how fast growing wisteria is!)
Cut back to 6 buds in the summer and then tie into the structure
In spring ignore the 3 bud rule and allow this lateral to grow longer as you tie it in.
Nip off any side growth for the first year so it focuses on thickening this stem into a branch
Cut back to 6 again in Summer
The second year back to 3 in spring giving it chance to flower
By that time it should be relatively woody and you can then allow its side shoots to emerge and start to climb around the structure.