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Wisteria Growing Period

Last post 24-03-2012 11:42 AM by Robocop. 6 replies.

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  • 23/03/2012 01:49 PM
    • Robocop
    • Lymm/Mallorca
    • 23 Mar 2012
    • 12
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    When does wisteria show signs of new season’s growth? (It’s in Mallorca).

    We purchased two wisterias in a large pot (Ali Baba - 70cm high and 50 cm wide) last year.  They were growing well but unsupported.  When we got the pot to our house we untangled and supported them on wire on the wall.  They carried on growing quite happily all through the summer.  In the autumn, the leaves fell off as one would expect leaving a lot of, what appear to be, brown bud casings visible.

    So far so good.   There has been an especially cold winter in Mallorca, with heavy snow for a few days, none of which I would expect to impact on Wisteria as it grows in the UK alright, but as we are approaching the end of March and everything is growing madly now, would I be right in thinking that it is dead!

    I haven't pruned it, as it isn't as big as we would want it, but should I? 
  • 23/03/2012 05:56 PM
    In reply to
    Top 25 Contributor
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     Hi Robocop, welcome to the forums,

    Scratch the bark to see if there is healthy green tissue underneath. If it is green and moist then it is probably just working on its roots and will break into leaf when it is ready. 

    Have fun,

    Ed

    www.ashridgetrees.co.uk
  • 23/03/2012 07:03 PM
    In reply to
    • courierdude
    • cambs/suffolk border
    • 14 Feb 2012
    • 216
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    i know a couple of giant very much alive wisteria over here and they havnt even hinted at leafing yet. something to do with a warm lead up to winter and the sudden hard frosts of feb possibly throwing the plants out of sync a little?

    energy follows thought
  • 23/03/2012 07:11 PM
    In reply to
    Top 25 Contributor
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     Good man, courierdude, there's a wisteria covering a house down the road from me and although I didn't bother to go and have a look at it Embarrassed (well, it's not really on my way anywhere), I've walked past it within the last 10 days and I don't recall seeing any green on it. 

    www.ashridgetrees.co.uk
  • 23/03/2012 08:27 PM
    In reply to
    • spanner
    • Camborne, Cornwall
    • 22 Feb 2011
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    The leaves have started to unfurl on mine . It's on a west facing wall and fairly sheltered.
  • 24/03/2012 11:27 AM
    In reply to
    • Robocop
    • Lymm/Mallorca
    • 23 Mar 2012
    • 12
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    Thanks Ed, I rushed down and scraped the bark a little and low and behold it is green! I feel a lot more confident about it now. I don't know that much about Wisteria but now I know it is growing I will give it a bit of a prune. From what I have researched it appears that "rigourous" prunning is a good thing for it.

    Thanks again for your advice, its made my day.Big Smile
  • 24/03/2012 11:42 AM
    In reply to
    • Robocop
    • Lymm/Mallorca
    • 23 Mar 2012
    • 12
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    You may be correct with that thought, Mallorca has had the worst snow for 50 years. We have freesias that are normally starting to flower at the end of January only just coming in to bloom.

    Most of the garden is behind but things like the Hibiscus, the Lantana and even the Plumbago (it was decimated by the snow) are showing new growth, so I was sort of expecting the Wisteria to have started as well.