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Why is my Wisteria not flowering / not coming back?
alexemmersonuk
Posts: 171
Hi there,
I have 3 wisteria trees.
Two small ones, about 4 foot tall, bought a few years go, which came back every year and flowered beautifully for the first time last year.
And another tree, much taller, probablty abiout 7 feet, last year, I was told at the garden centre it was old enough to flower, but which unfotunatly didnt flower last year.
Of the two little trees that normally come back every year and bloomed last year by 26 April, one has not come back at all yet (Not even one leaf) and the other is only yjust starting to come back (a few green leaves appearing), This is strange because it's so much later than last year and also all the wisteria I see around my area is in fullbloom. And why is one of them so much behind the other? Is it even alive still? How can you even tell if it died when someonething is decidious? And why wouold something so sturdy die? I am aware that they are in pots and should ideally be in the ground - or at the very least in much bigger pots - however I rent and the landlord is quote against having wisteria near the house as the roots can grow so big and potentially affect the house foundations. Could this be the reason they're slower? Shall I get them a massive pot each? I think I have something approproate in the shed?
And the tall one, which I was assured would bloom last year is now lush with leaves, but again not even a sign of a bud. Although I have just gone out and had a look and I saw somehting that could potentially be a bud. I will add it as a picture, do you think that's a bud????
Wisteria is one of my very favourites and i do want to understand it better and become better at looking after it. I didnt prune it in October, I am a bit of a beginner and dint really think it would make a difference, does it really make a difference? Could this be the reason why it's so late?
Thanks for your help!
I have 3 wisteria trees.
Two small ones, about 4 foot tall, bought a few years go, which came back every year and flowered beautifully for the first time last year.
And another tree, much taller, probablty abiout 7 feet, last year, I was told at the garden centre it was old enough to flower, but which unfotunatly didnt flower last year.
Of the two little trees that normally come back every year and bloomed last year by 26 April, one has not come back at all yet (Not even one leaf) and the other is only yjust starting to come back (a few green leaves appearing), This is strange because it's so much later than last year and also all the wisteria I see around my area is in fullbloom. And why is one of them so much behind the other? Is it even alive still? How can you even tell if it died when someonething is decidious? And why wouold something so sturdy die? I am aware that they are in pots and should ideally be in the ground - or at the very least in much bigger pots - however I rent and the landlord is quote against having wisteria near the house as the roots can grow so big and potentially affect the house foundations. Could this be the reason they're slower? Shall I get them a massive pot each? I think I have something approproate in the shed?
And the tall one, which I was assured would bloom last year is now lush with leaves, but again not even a sign of a bud. Although I have just gone out and had a look and I saw somehting that could potentially be a bud. I will add it as a picture, do you think that's a bud????
Wisteria is one of my very favourites and i do want to understand it better and become better at looking after it. I didnt prune it in October, I am a bit of a beginner and dint really think it would make a difference, does it really make a difference? Could this be the reason why it's so late?
Thanks for your help!
Growing a pink garden, one plant at a time....
0
Posts
Wisteria can be kept in pots and many people keep them as bonsai but it can take a lot of work.
I can’t advise on how to manage them successfully in pots longer term but as a minimum would guess you need larger pots and to use shrub/container compost not multi-purpose, feed them slow release feed annually/bi-annually ( as per manufacturers advice) plus refresh the top few inches of compost each year.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Prunning does help but the plant needs to be mature enough to do so and it does depend on if it has had enough nutrients and water the year before as to how well it performs. My guess is that many are struggling after last year and it's only the really well established ones, with deep roots, that are putting on a good show at the moment.
You need a good quality loam based compost such as a John Innes no 3 but any compost only has nutrients for 80 to 90 days so you also need to give it a slow release fertiliser such as blood, fish and bone evry spring and then a regular dose of liquid rose or tomato fertiliser when watering between April and end July.
As stated, there are 2 types - one flowers beofr the leaves come and one does flowers and leaves at the same time. Both will repeat flower hru the season if happy.
Pruning twice a year is important too. Have a look a this link:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/wisteria/pruning-guide
I have self sown babies from my mature wisterias and they are flowering after just 3 years. I'm planning to train them as standards, just for fun but they have set themselves up well in a sunny site in a flower bed which has had loads of mulching and feeding for a great permanent display of spring bulbs. I had planned to add a central shrub to extend the interest but don't need to now.
I think this is a lack of nutrition and an effect from last year's weather.
If the two little ones are seven then they are seriously small. I planted one smaller than the one on the left and it covered an area around 6x4m in three years. That was the smaller American wisteria which is still vigorous but doesn't get anywhere near as big.