On 16/5/05 11:33, in article , "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

Bob Hobden wrote:
snip

Interesting: must be a wonderful sight. How old does it have to be to
support itself? Do the branches on a mature specimen hold themselves
up too?

I wonder if a compromise solution might be to grow it through a
suitable small tree, which I suppose it might eventually kill,
leaving the wistaria on its own, like the tropical strangling fig.

We have one going up a conifer (the name of which I forget) and it's
flowering beautifully, defying the laws of pruning! I don't know if all
Wisterias would behave so well, perhaps it needs to be an especially
vigorous one. But this one is never pruned because it's impossible to get
at - that might be the only reason for NOT growing one up a tree, though a
deciduous one would make it a lot easier!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)