Pruning of the Wisteria

This vigorous, beautiful climber forms sometimes more leaves than flowers. Don’t worry: it always ends up under a shower of flowers. But a suitable pruning accelerate its blossom and gives it a frame which is going to make it last…for centuries!

Pruning of the Wisteria
When a Wisteria starts to blossom, you’ve won!
Pruning of the Wisteria
A well pruned Wisteria, ready to bloom.

The right moment

Pruning a Wisteria can be done twice during the year, either at the end of winter when the buds start to swell or in summer (from end of July to mid-September). In both cases, pruning consists of severely cutting the growths which get longer like threads. It is not complicated. To limit the Wisteria’s development, you can also choose to prune it straight after blossoming, but i twill need pruning again two months later to limit regrowth.

Pruning of the Wisteria
The fine shoots with very little foliage must be pruned harshly.

Quite short the fine stems!

Whether it is a young or older specimen, prune the long vine shoots. These shoots are solely used by the plant to grip onto a support and never bear flower buds. Do not cut them right back but after the third well-formed leave, going from the birth-point. At the end of winter, identify the cutting level looking at the buds: the rounded ones must be kept, the finer, pointed ones are the ones to be cut. This pruning is sufficient to encourage the Wisteria to produce flowering buds during next season.
If your Wisteria is in the process of developing and has not covered the wished area yet, keep the fine stems at the end of the branches to let it spread later on.

Pruning of the Wisteria
Pruning a Wisteria in summer is more complicated because of the foliage.

Keep the base clean

Cut right back the suckers forming at the trunk’s base even if they look vigorous. Remove them again when they reappear during the summer. Most of the time, Wisterias have been grafted. Neglecting the suckers at the base condemns you to see the wild variety getting the upper hand.

Good to know

The pruned wastes of the Wisteria do compost very well. It also makes excellent mulch.
The Wisteria chinensis and the Wisteria floribunda are pruned in the same way.
It is difficult to grow a Wisteria from a cutting and it only produces stunted specimens: it is not interesting to take cuttings from it.
Regularly check the condition of the supporting structure: this climber is rather heavy and it has the strength of twisting even the most solid metal elements. It the supporting structure shows any signs of weakness, reinforce it.

M. Jean-Michel GROULT
 
Pépinières PLANFOR
1950 Route de Cère
40090 UCHACQ - FRANCE
Tel : (020).7660.0178