Wisteria Pruning

The pergola has two wisteria. One is about 3 years older than the other that was planted earlier this spring. Both are blue.  Both are growing very well.  The older vine (pictured above) was trained to grow up a post, through some timbers and up to rest on top of the pergola.  This was not a smart plan.  Note: the vine continues to bloom with regular pruning.

The opening to the top of the pergola has shrunk or the wisteria is bulking up.  Soon it will be too thick for the opening and will devour the lumber.  Not good.  The vertical post is now snapped.  In fact, it's no longer in the ground.  Farmer MacGregor sawed off the post closer to the base and pulled it out of the ground.  This allows for much better drainage.

So, in order to correct this mistake before it's too late, pruning must commence now.  This will encourage growth to continue through the summer in preparation for blooms next year.  I'll work on it a little at a time...maybe taking one branch and gradually pruning until I have a short enough piece of vine to train around to the outside of the pergola.  If the job becomes too tedious, the next option is to wait until the fall and give it a drastic pruning.  Waiting until fall will allow the plants below to contiue to enjoy the lush shade provided. Fine Gardening has a nice article on pruning wisteria.

The younger vine has been re-routed to the outside.  This was a much simpler fix.  Now that I look at the photo, I may consider removing it from between the two timbers.  There is much more room to expand on either side.

Any tips on pruning wisteria successfully are welcome.