Renowned horticulturist Monty Don has shared an essential gardening tip for wisteria owners: pruning now can lead to incredible blooms next summer. The BBC Gardeners' World presenter, known for his expertise and his magnificent garden Longmeadow in Herefordshire, emphasizes that acting promptly is key.
The Pruning Task
According to Monty Don, the crucial task is straightforward: prune wisteria by cutting back all new growth to six inches. He explains that wisteria produces flowers on new growth, which emerges from spurs off the main shoots. The best time to prune is after flowering, typically around mid-June for most gardeners in the UK.
Don advises: "When they have finished flowering - and for most of us that is around the middle of June - is the best time to prune all this year's new shoots back to a spur, leaving no more than about 6 inches of growth." He adds that this process also allows gardeners to tidy, train, and tie in the plant, ensuring there are no loose or trailing shoots.
Additional Guidance
For those uncertain about how much to cut, Monty Don offers a safety net: "If there is any doubt about how hard to prune, err on the side of cutting too lightly and then in the new year, when the foliage has all died back, you can prune again, reducing each side shoot to just 2 or 3 inches."
Wisteria typically flowers between April and June, with blooms in shades of purple, pink, lilac, and white. With proper pruning, it can also produce a second display in late summer, during July and August.
