In 1980 I first saw the stunning wisteria arbor in the famous Ryoan-ji Stone Garden in Kyoto, Japan. This landscape masterpiece, dating back 520 years, has many inspirational plants but none so dramatic as the curtains of white, wisteria flowers in spring on an ancient arbor. I have observed this plant annually for the last 30 years and have closely observed how the gardeners have managed to produce such a spectacular floral display every spring.
The secret of their success is in the strict and severe pruning regime.
The trunk is 'waist-thick' and the branches 5-10cm, the remaining stems are quite thin and short. In late spring, after the flowers have fallen, the climber puts out massive growth. These whippy stems can grow to 3-4 metres seemingly over night. It is critical these vigorous shoots are 'tamed' quickly for they will sap the plant of energy. In Australia this first pruning takes place in late November although I have also carried it out in the first week of December.
How and where to prune to is also critical.
Reduce the previous years growth, flowered stems and new soft, green growth to 2-3 buds from the original, previous years older wood. This means pruning back to leave short stems 10-15cm in length. It is quite likely there will be no leaves left after this pruning.
The plant is then watered thoroughly with a seaweed solution. I have in the past used either, Organix Harvest, Seasol or Maxicrop. In 2008 and '09 I added OCP's Ecohydrate to the watering can to aid with moisture penetration and soil microbial activity.
The plant can also be fertilised at this time with a complete fertiliser or pelleted manure with added NPK nutrients. This year I used Riversafe's Garden Magic.
Then wait and watch the new growth appear out of the shortened stems. Don't let the plant dry out during summer. Then in late summer, February at the latest, again prune back the new growth. This time prune to within 3-4 buds of the older wood. Again don't let the plant dry out during autumn. Don't be tempted to prune again as the stems being produced now will flower beautifully in spring.
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