Wisteria floribunda 'Black Dragon' Tree

Aftercare Advice

Wisteria require a good watering regime for a couple of years whilst they establish. Water well and regularly through spring and summer, increasing in hot or dry weather. If planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little. It is advisable to keep the area free of competing weeds and grass during this period.

Wisteria should be pruned twice annually—once in February when it is dormant and once in August—in order to maximise flowering and help keep it under control. The idea is to encourage the development of short, flowering-bearing spurs and reduce the amount of vigorous, leafy growth.

In February, start by removing any dead, diseased or damaged branches, right back to the main branch. Tie in new growth to extend the main framework and cut back summer side shoots to two or three buds from the base. As there are no leaves on the wisteria at this time of year, it'll be easier to see what does and doesn't need pruning.

In August, after flowering, cut back long or whippy green side shoots of the current year's growth back to 20cm (about five leaves from the main stem). If there are any dead, diseased or damaged branches, these should be removed. If your wisteria is young, select a few strong shoots to tie onto your climbing support. On an older wisteria, simply prune side shoots back to your framework of strong shoots.

To keep them happy and healthy, wisteria can be fed every spring with a general purpose fertiliser. Feeding with a high potash fertiliser or a flowering shrub feed (such as a rose feed) will encourage flower production.

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