How to Trim Back a Wisteria on a Pergola

Wisteria is an aggressive vine that takes over quickly.

Wisteria is an Asian vine from the pea family that has been adopted by Westerners for its showy bunches of hanging purple, pink, blue or white flowers. Wisteria plants are highly aggressive, and they will take over any area in which they are placed, including trees and buildings. If growing wisteria, it is important to make the time to trim and train it into the area you have selected, especially if you have chosen a pergola or an arbor.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Allow the main vine of the wisteria to grow unhindered on the pergola until it has reached a fork in the structure.

2. Cut back the very tip of the main vine at this point to encourage side shoots, and direct these shoots along the pergola's crossbeams.

3. Prune in the summer as the vine grows, taking away any suckers (these are shoots that appear in the fork of the main stem and an offshoot) and trimming short any vines that take an undesirable direction.

4. Trim back all branches to within five buds but not less than three buds in the winter after the foliage has died. This will encourage blooming the following year.

Tips & Warnings

• Wisteria can grow 10 feet in a single season, according to Meghan Ray at Fine Gardening, so regular trimming is essential.

• Be certain your pergola is solidly constructed and set with concrete; wisteria is known to be brutal on its supports.

References

• Fine Gardening: Pruning Wisteria
• Ohio State University Fact Sheet Extension: Growing Wisteria

Resources

• Creative Homemaking: Growing Wisteria Vines