Wisteria is one of the UK’s most-loved climbing plants. It’s famous for its cascading flowers and sweet fragrance. But while it can grow fast and look stunning, it also needs the right care to keep it under control and blooming year after year.
That’s why gardening experts are urging people to take one important step this month, or risk missing out on its colourful display next year. According to gardening experts at Spear & Jackson, July is the perfect time to give wisteria a good prune. Summer pruning helps control its rapid growth, encourages flower production, and keeps the plant in shape.
Wisteria is part of the pea family and produces long tendrils during the warmer months.
Left unchecked, these can quickly take over walls, fences or pergolas.
Cutting back new shoots to about six or seven leaves from the main stem helps contain the growth and redirect energy towards flowering.
“Pruning wisteria in summer helps to control the plant’s growth, encourages flowering, and maintains its shape,” the experts said.
It’s also a good time to tidy up the plant by removing any dead or damaged wood. This improves airflow and helps prevent pests or diseases from taking hold.
Gardeners should also focus on cutting back lateral shoots, the ones that grow off the main stems.
These can become long and messy if ignored, so trimming them to six buds helps keep the plant tidy and productive.
July is also ideal for training the plant. New growth is still soft and can easily be tied to supports, such as trellises or wires, to guide the plant in the right direction.
Deadheading spent blooms is another useful task. Once the main flowering period is over, removing faded flowers helps encourage new buds to form and can extend the blooming season.
For overgrown wisteria, a more drastic cut, known as a hard prune, may be needed.
This involves trimming the plant right back to its main stems, but gardeners are warned this can lead to fewer flowers the following year.
The easiest way to remember when to prune is with the phrase: “2 in 2, 7 in 7”, meaning cut back to two buds in February and seven buds in July.