How to winter-prune wisteria

in Home : Projects: Pruning and training

You will need

Wisteria plant
Secateurs
String for tying-in if necessary
Ladder if necessary

Do it: mid-October - mid-March

Takes just: 1 hour

Project categories

Overview

Winter pruning wisteria encourages the development of short-flowering spurs that carry the flowers in spring. The long vigorous shoots produced on the wisteria need to be cut back at least twice during the year, so you'll need to repeat this pruning in late-June or early July.

How to do it

1Use secateurs to cut back current season's growth back to two or three buds from the base. Cut just above the chosen bud, at an angle slanting in the same direction as the bud.

Adam's tip

Check the ties or string that's holding the wisteria on its supporting wires or structure, replacing any that have broken.

Discuss this project

Talkback: How to winter-prune wisteria

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moatel@aol.com 24/11/2011 at 15:27

Do the same rules apply to a wisteria that I have trained into a standard?

muddywalters 24/11/2011 at 15:28

Coming to the end of my first year in this garden. The Wisteria on the house wall flowered beautifully, but is a writhing, tangled mess, growing across windows and behind drainpipes. Wish me luck !

colgan 24/11/2011 at 15:29

I have planted a wisteria 3 years ago and not seen any flower could you advise further as its gone wild
last year I cut it back, this year it has got thicker but still no flower

Chelliepops 12/01/2012 at 20:01

Our wisteria is over 8 years old and we've had mixed success with pruning this way. Last year we had no flowers at all and I don' really know what to do next?!?

Pip Allon 13/01/2012 at 08:25

I have tried several times to grow Wisteria, with no luck.
Can you give me clues? I live in Jerusalem, the rocky hills of the Jordanian desert.

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