August 2000 ... August 2000 ... August
2000
Wisteria
One of the most common questions asker of me
when at college is, 'Why does my Wisteria not
flower?' - all it seems to do is send out loads and
loads of lush green shoots, but not a single
flower?' Many reasons can be attributed to lack of
flowers, but the most common reason is probably due
to quality of plant at propagation. Wisteria are
grafted; that is to say two plants are physically
joined together in order that the rootstock
controls height and spread of the plant and also
potentially bringing the plant into flower much
earlier than it would on it's own rootstock. In
fact the majority of the plants that are purchased
from the garden centres have gone through a process
of grafting - for more information why not send for
the Fact Sheet on Grafting.
Another reason why Wisteria may be reluctant to
sprout flowers could have something to do with the
fact 'we', as gardeners, do not prune the plant
correctly; a great deal of growers and eminent
gardeners feel this to be true.
Always, when pruning any plant, remember the 3
golden rules of pruning:
- Those plants that flower before July should
not be pruned until flowering has finished (they
flower on previous years wood),
- Those plants that flower after June/ July
flower on current seasons growth and should be
pruned hard at the beginning of the year,
- Notice where the flowers arise from; one
year, two year or more, and then adapt your
pruning techniques accordingly.
Follow this Step-by-Step guide to Wisteria
pruning:
- Restrict the growth of vigorous, leafy
shoots to encourage more new buds for next year,
- Cut back all long shoots produced this year,
leaving 4-6 leaves. It is often advisable to cut
well clear of the last bud, since these buds are
easily damaged,
- With over vigorous varieties, often this
form of pruning can be repeated once every 2
weeks from late July through until late August.
- Don't forget to feed the plant at he
beginning of the year with a general purpose
fertilizer such as Growmore, Osmocote or Fish,
Blood and Bone at a typical rate of 50g/ m¾
- And who knows, next year there may be a
bloom or two hanging tantalizing on your prized
Wisteria. If the plant is within 5 years of
age, allow for 1-2 more years of growing in
order that a framework is established which
could support flowers - good luck!
Tom's Topical Tips for August:
- Thin Gallica roses and train/tie in new
shoots of climbing and rambling roses,
- Don't forget to remove those troublesome
suckers and constantly dead head where
applicable,
- For those of you interested in growing
plants for 'free', why not start collecting
seeds of the early flowering perennials. If not
seed, then why not consider stem cuttings - send
for a FREE Fact Sheet on Stem Cuttings NOW,
- Water summer-flowering bulbs in containers,
feeding and spraying if necessary,
- Those of you with clump-forming cacti should
consider dividing offsets and repotting,
- Remember, when applying feed and weed
killers to the lawn, to water-in the granules if
rain has not been sufficient within 24-36 hours
of application. Failure to water-in the feed
could cause the lawn to have a wonderful brown
effect. If applying by hopper, care must be
taken not to overlap too much, otherwise your
prize lawn may have great stripes, but in
between each green band will be a prominent
brown stripe.
Have a great time in the garden this month - and
remember to water when dry. If you want a question
answered or wish for Fact Sheet on Grafting and
Stem Cuttings why not drop me a line enclosing a
sae to: Tom Cole, c/o Capel Manor College,
Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RQ, or
e-mail me on
tcole@cgcs.freeserve.co.uk
Happy Gardening!
|
