It needs a renovation. The goal would be to leave the main trunk and a few leaders in directions you want future growth. Cut all other branches back to two buds. Do this in February
GnaphaliumUliginosum
Wisteria are naturally thugs that have evolved to grow to the top of 30m tall trees. They are often planted in very inappropriate places where they do not have enough room. To flower well, they need a complicated 2-phase pruning system. Plenty of info about this from the RHS or other gardening books/resources.
You probably want to give it a bit of a renovation prune this winter/spring, but be prepared for a lot of regrowth that needs extensive summer pruning to control.
Kent_biker
In the UK, wisteria pruning involves two main sessions: a summer prune (July/August) to cut new green shoots back to 5-6 leaves to control size and encourage buds, and a winter prune (Jan/Feb) when dormant, cutting those same shoots back further to 2-3 buds to develop strong flower spurs for the next season. This twice-yearly approach keeps vigorous wisteria manageable, promotes better light, and ensures abundant flowers, as they form on one-year-old wood.
Ok-Exam6702
RHS website has a good demo about video pruning wisteria. You need to get rid of all the whips which won’t produce flowers and leave the older established branches and buds. It’ll thank you!
Impressive_Field_262
planted mine 8 yrs ago never had a flower untill 2 yrs ago when i dug round the base and mixed in wood ash from the log burner ,got a good healthy show of flowers since then ,not amazing but time will tell
gardensandwatches
I would cut that back to almost nothing with expecting to a few key limbs. I took over gardening at a large country home that had 100ft of Wisteria. I left it a year to see how rampant it was (I knew and wanted to be sure) and with that cut it back as described. It’s been a very healthy plant last year and this year will happily flower twice. If you cut it back to 6 inches off the ground it would still come back like an animal. It’s the nature of the beast. They have amazing root structures and are so incredibly hardy.
graz0
Need a good cutback now and another bigger trim just as spring starts … cut back each year .. train main stems to a shape you want and get rid of all them spindly bits
etzpcm
Cut it back hard but leave a few of those buds, then you should get some flowers in May.
Fit-Gap4065
You are basically removing all of that growth to the main stem, but leaving 2 or 3 buds at the termination point.
If you haven’t been regularly pruning this, you may have to develop these over 2026 for 2027.
65bottles
Major haircut time! Wisteria need to be pruned correctly in summer and winter in order to flower. I would recommend looking at the RHS guidance online or if you are willing to invest in it hire a qualified gardener to get it back into shape for you
10 Comments
It needs a renovation. The goal would be to leave the main trunk and a few leaders in directions you want future growth. Cut all other branches back to two buds. Do this in February
Wisteria are naturally thugs that have evolved to grow to the top of 30m tall trees. They are often planted in very inappropriate places where they do not have enough room. To flower well, they need a complicated 2-phase pruning system. Plenty of info about this from the RHS or other gardening books/resources.
You probably want to give it a bit of a renovation prune this winter/spring, but be prepared for a lot of regrowth that needs extensive summer pruning to control.
In the UK, wisteria pruning involves two main sessions: a summer prune (July/August) to cut new green shoots back to 5-6 leaves to control size and encourage buds, and a winter prune (Jan/Feb) when dormant, cutting those same shoots back further to 2-3 buds to develop strong flower spurs for the next season. This twice-yearly approach keeps vigorous wisteria manageable, promotes better light, and ensures abundant flowers, as they form on one-year-old wood.
RHS website has a good demo about video pruning wisteria. You need to get rid of all the whips which won’t produce flowers and leave the older established branches and buds. It’ll thank you!
planted mine 8 yrs ago never had a flower untill 2 yrs ago when i dug round the base and mixed in wood ash from the log burner ,got a good healthy show of flowers since then ,not amazing but time will tell
I would cut that back to almost nothing with expecting to a few key limbs. I took over gardening at a large country home that had 100ft of Wisteria. I left it a year to see how rampant it was (I knew and wanted to be sure) and with that cut it back as described. It’s been a very healthy plant last year and this year will happily flower twice. If you cut it back to 6 inches off the ground it would still come back like an animal. It’s the nature of the beast. They have amazing root structures and are so incredibly hardy.
Need a good cutback now and another bigger trim just as spring starts … cut back each year .. train main stems to a shape you want and get rid of all them spindly bits
Cut it back hard but leave a few of those buds, then you should get some flowers in May.
You are basically removing all of that growth to the main stem, but leaving 2 or 3 buds at the termination point.
If you haven’t been regularly pruning this, you may have to develop these over 2026 for 2027.
Major haircut time! Wisteria need to be pruned correctly in summer and winter in order to flower. I would recommend looking at the RHS guidance online or if you are willing to invest in it hire a qualified gardener to get it back into shape for you