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Wisteria damaging balcony

hodderharrison64581hodderharrison64581 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
We have inherited a Wisteria with our home but it is climbing onto a first floor balcony and causing damage to the balcony. It is so intertwined in the railings that if we tried to remove it / cut it down then the balcony would be damaged even more in the process (and we would lose a beautiful healthy plant). Does anyone have advice / experience re providing structural support to old Wisteria plants / balcony - not really sure where to start. thanks 

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @pansyface Sorry not sure where the bold type is! I seem to recall a court case involving a famous violinist and his neighbour who's house had subsidence due to a Wisteria. That was in London too. Oh it's the B but not working
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • SueAtooSueAtoo Posts: 380
    It is incredibly strong, virtually a climbing, strangling, tree. You may have to cut it off in small chunks. Beautiful but deadly in the wrong place.
    East Dorset, new (to me) rather neglected garden.
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    I wouldn't worry about losing the plant - wisteria, once established, is pretty bombproof, when it comes to hard pruning.
    Do you have a picture you can post here?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Wisteria stems become as strong and solid as tree trunks and branches when mature and can be self supporting.  We have inherited two which were once supported against walls but are now free standing. 

    All we have to do now is to keep the long whippy new  stems pruned back in summer so we don't get mugged.  In late Jan/early Feb we get up a ladder and remove any higher stems that are heading under gutters.

    Some photos would help but, for now, I would get a clean, sharp pair of secateurs and cut every stem that's wrapping itself round the balcony - assuming it has railings of some sort.  Be sure to do it on a day when frost is not forecast so the wounds have time to set and angle the cuts, if you can, so that rain drips off.  This will help prevent disease spores from infecting the wounds.
    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
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