Thursday 26 September 2013

Advice from John and Debbie at Jardin des Espiemonts

Dear Val,
We agree with Sally’s advice about the hard pruning twice a year. John’s a big fan of giving plants a severe pruning. Obviously, different plants have different requirements, but generally speaking, a thorough pruning keeps a plant under control while encouraging healthy new growth, so the plant will perform better and be much more vigorous. Another benefit, useful in this instance, is that with the re-growth, it gives you an opportunity to create the shape you want and train it in the desired direction. Of course you want to keep your customers happy, but effective pruning should mean that your gite guests can enjoy the view from the balcony, and still enjoy your beautiful plant. Train new growth along your straining wires and cut away any undesired, intrusive new growth and, rather than disrupting the view, your wisteria should frame and enhance it.

We wouldn’t recommend moving your wisteria - they do not like being moved, and the more established they are, the more likely it is that they will not respond well to being uprooted, and may die during the process.

If it’s not flowering well this year then maybe your pruning technique could do with a bit of enhancing. Did you cut past the buds, maybe? That’s good advice from Liz about checking out a video showing pruning in progress. And while you can get Alan Titchmarsh on You Tube, here in South West France we have the equally knowledgeable and infinitely better looking John from Le Jardin des Espiemonts! What do you think – I reckon I’ll volunteer him to run a gardening group workshop on pruning wisteria round at your place in January/February of next year!
Love Debbie
Val says Sounds like a good idea to me. I have  already butchered the white wisteria but I have another blue one we could work on.
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