Pruning Wisteria and other winter jobs
Pruning of Wisteria can be an intimidating job, and whilst it needn’t be, let’s get one thing straight – your Wisteria is not going to die if you don’t prune it. With enough space, Wisteria is happy to roam and will continue to flower. However, to get the best from them, and especially if you have limited space, they should be getting pruned twice per year. Although Tom's main services are garden design and landscape gardening in the Glasgow area, he sometimes has time to help with horticultural tasks like this too!
The first pruning should take place in July or August after flowering, and this involves cutting back new growth down to five or six leaves – this encourages it to form more flower buds and is a great opportunity to check the plant’s growth.
The second, winter, pruning, should obviously be done in the winter months. At this pruning, the same growth should be cut back to two or three buds – this helps ensure that new flowers are not obscured by new leaves. It is as simple as that – as with all pruning, take your time, and step back to check on your progress regularly.
Other jobs that you can be getting on with in January and February include –
* Renovate straggly and wild Beech hedges while they are dormant and there are no early nesting birds in there.
* Plant bare root shrubs and trees.
*Prune summer-flowering Clematis, as well as winter-flowering shrubs such as Mahonia japonica, Viburnum tinus and Winter Jasmine.
*Prune Apple & Pear trees, NOT Cherry trees though.
*Get all your garden machinery serviced now, mechanics may have waiting lists so it’s best to get it sorted ASAP.
*Cut back deciduous grasses and any tired-looking seed heads that have been left standing over the winter.
Spring is just round the corner now, and March is a busy time in the garden, so use January and February to get everything looking ship-shape – that’s what I’ll be doing!
Tom Angel is a chartered horticulturist, garden designer and landscape gardener based in Glasgow, Scotland. Tom offers garden design services in Glasgow, and online planting plans wherever you are.