Chinese Wisteria | Wisteria sinensis 'Caroline'

Wisterias are generally not bothered by pests or disease. Aphids, Scale Insects, Powdery Mildews and Honey Fungus can occasionally affect the plant but the problems are usually not serious.

For the best flowers, position where the plant will receive at least 4-6 hours of sunlight everyday during summer and spring. This variety can handle some dappled shade.

If your soil is particularly clay heavy and gets waterlogged often, make sure you mix in plenty of organic matter and perhaps even gravel or perlite to help improve drainage.

Pruning Wisteria is an important task that keeps the plant healthy, promotes flowering, and helps you train it up structures the way you want. In the first few years when you want the Wisteria to grow rapidly up a structure, prune it more sparingly. Pruning Wisteria occurs in two phases. The first phase begins in late summer around July/August where you cut back the new whippy growth, unless you are looking to train it to cover your structure in which case this is the time you tie it in. Follow the whippy growth back to the woody stems. Then, cut the whippy growth five buds from this woody stem. This will help you ensure that the plant does not get out of hand and you can control its growth. The second phase begins in late winter around January/February. Find where you made the cuts in the summer and cut off down a further 2/3 buds. This will promote greater floral growth come early summer.