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Wisteria devasted by frost!!

selina.howardselina.howard Posts: 2
in Problem solving
My wisteria was laden with fabulous purple/green flower buds, until the cold weather last week. Despite my efforts with fleece to protect it the buds did not cope with the -4 we had overnight last weekend. I am devasted!! What should I do now? Prune back the dead buds? or leave them and see if anything shoots?? Any suggestions gratefully received, including is there any chance I could still get some flowers this year??

Posts

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I'm in the same boat although our frost was not so severe. Nothing to do but wait and see if we get any flowers in a week or so. Then you could certainly prune away any definitely dead buds. I don't fleece my wisteria any more as I found I knocked off more buds when taking the fleece off.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I'd wait and see.  Wind and rain will make any frozen buds fall and, with any luck, it will produce new buds.   You could give it a good, deep drink of diluted liquid tomato fertiliser to encourage it. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Same mishap in my garden in Brittany. :'( Only about minus 1 degree one or two nights, but that was enough to completely destroy all of my very promising flower buds. Second time this has happened to my 20-year-old Wisteria. I do not plan to take any action, just wait for those frozen buds to drop and hope for a few new flowers to appear later in the season.
    @Obelixx I never feed my Wisteria; it's not needed. Hope your own Wisteria was not affected by the frost, South of me, in Vendée.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I have 3 @Papi Jo - the two I inherited and the one I have planted since.   Of the two originals, the one growing on the south facing wall is protected from the worst winds and is starting to open its flower buds.  The one on an east facing wall still has furled flower buds.

    I have fed the latter as, when we moved here, it was a bit sad looking and is in a rain shadow so it has had one generous dollop of manure, composted garden waste and pelleted chicken manure when I renovated the small bed in which it grows. 

    The third is still small but covered in tightly furled flower buds.  It is growing against the potager fence so is open to the weather on all sides.  We've had a few frosts lately and some added wind chill but it's fine so far.  Might be a different story of we get the expected frost and added wind chill on Saturday when it's buds will be a bit further along. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    My Wisteria gets almost frosted every year I've had one good display in about 8 years . It will grow again when its ready but my doesn't flower after the frost has had it . 
  • greatnorthernexoticgreatnorthernexotic Posts: 119
    This happened to both my and my neighbour's wisterias last year - just had to write that year off as a bad one. So far so good, this year. I did try fleecing the whole thing but it's impractical. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't get frosted!
    Growing tropical and desert plants outdoors in West Yorkshire
    INSTAGRAM/ YOUTUBE
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    It's the luck of the draw isn't it, some years you win, some you don't. It's what being a gardener is all about, having the patience to wait for a good year.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • EmptyheadtimeEmptyheadtime Posts: 366
    edited April 2022
    Went out to garden this morning and it looks like the frost got my wisteria buds too. Lots of buds on the ground and any left on the plant look bare. Oh well there is always next year.



  • selina.howardselina.howard Posts: 2
    Thanks for your comments everyone! Good to know I'm not alone. Fingers crossed for next year :D
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Current state of my Wisteria. Most flower buds have been destroyed by the frost. A few have survived, those touching the wall!

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