Forum home› Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Mixing Wisteria types on one frame?

richard.hammond84LQCyJRJSrichard.hammond84LQCyJRJS Posts: 2
in Garden design
Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to plant two wisterias to growth over a metal framework around a porch on the front of our house. 

The two sides are about 14ft apart so I plan to put one wisteria on each side so they can grow up and meet/cross in the middle. 

I'm thinking about using two different wisteria types - maybe silky wisteria (which I prefer the scent from) but also with floribunda for the larger flowers. I'm thinking this might also extend the flowering duration as they won't flower simultaneously. 

I've never seen two wisteria types mixed together on a single frame though and I'm wondering if it's a bad idea in any way? Will one of them just beat the other one?

Would appreciate any advice. I know it will take a lot of years to realise if it's a mistake so thought I'd ask!

Posts

  • McRazzMcRazz Posts: 440
    Imagine if you put Beyonce and Madonna together on stage - it would be chaos. They'd constantly be trying to outdo each other and it just wouldn't work. 

    However, on their own as individuals they would put on a pretty good show (if thats your thing).

    This, but with Wisterias.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They get very big if they're happy....
    @Obelixx has wisterias, and may be able to help with this. 
    I'm assuming they would be going in the ground, but if you can give more info re your location and climate, soil type etc  @richard.hammond84LQCyJRJS that will also help with any advice from others who grow them  :)
     
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    14ft isn’t much of a gap so I doubt it would take years to realise the mistake. Our wisteria took around 2 seasons to reach across the full width of our house, around 26ft. I was pruning and controlling the excess growth pretty early on.

    If doing it myself, I think I would keep them separate rather than allowing them to intermingle. You would need to keep on top of the new growth in summer.


     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Can they grow in both directions or only towards each other?  If they can clamber away from the metal frame, on up a house wall, one going one way and one the other, I could see that might work.  But the weight of two mature wisterias would be considerable on one frame, so it would need to be a super sturdy support from the get go.

    Generally, I think just having one type would probably look more pleasing aesthetically, especially as with two varieties, rate of growth might be markedly different, creating a lop-sided effect.  
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited 5 March
    There's a wisteria on what was a weekend cottage just up the road from me.  It grew 100 metres along the hedge in the next field before the owners retired there and tamed it.   My 3 - 2 mature and one youngster - all produce whips up to 3metres long in a season which means I need to trim and rain them all summer.

    Unless your support frame is seriously sturdy and well built I would just plant one.


    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
  • richard.hammond84LQCyJRJSrichard.hammond84LQCyJRJS Posts: 2
    Thanks for all the input, will give it some thought... 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    @richard.hammond84LQCyJRJS, here is a pic of an old mature wisteria - just a little warning!7
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
Sign In or Register to comment.