Wisteria is a vigorous climbing plant which hangs with purple, blue or white flowers in early spring. It has a gorgeous scent which hangs over the whole garden when it is in flower.
Wisteria plants in the wild grow in forests with their roots in the shade in the fertile organic soil of the forest floor and their flowers and roots in the tree canopy. You could grow your wisteria through a vigorous tree (Wisteria will swamp a small tree) for an exotic jungle-like feel. Alternatively it is a great climber for covering a pergola or growing against a house wall.
Wisteria sinensis is the Chinese wisteria and is the most prolific flowerer while Wisteria floribunda is the Japanese wisteria and has longer flowers.
Growing wisteria
Plant in a rich soil and add well-rotted organic matter. It is preferable to have the roots in shade but the stems need plenty of sun to encourage flowering.
Train the wisteria into a tree (plant on the south side about 1m from the tree trunk), onto wires on the house wall or onto a pergola. Encourage horizontal growth as this encourages flowering.
Pruning wisteria
In February prune all last years shoots (except those you wish to retain for the structure) back to 2-3 buds.
In the summer prune back all new growth (except those you wish to retain for the structure) to about 30cms.
Wisterias are very vigorous climbers and so pruning can become quite a lot of work.
Propagating wisteria
The easiest way to propagate cuttings is by layering. Let one of the stems grow along the soil. Cut a small nick in the stem and weigh this down so that it is in close contact with the soil. It should start rooting from this point. Wisterias are so vigorous you will probably find this starts happening naturally with your plant as it matures.
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