On 2013-05-26 09:50:01 +0100, Martin said:

On Sat, 25 May 2013 17:49:09 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-05-25 13:11:12 +0100, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote
Yes, sometimes you just have to grow what you can grow, fun though it
is to push the envelope at times! We have 3 Wisterias growing as
standards on the main lawn and one is just hopeless. It comes into leaf
long before the flowers show and flowers poorly anyway. Ray keeps
saying 'give it a chance' but as far as I'm concerned, it's had 3 or 4
years, so that's it. Out! We had another on the house wall (planted
long before Ray came here) and it did just the same, so it's had to go.


It's funny how some Wisteria do that, it detracts so much from the
effect. Ours covering our S facing wall always flowers before the
leaves and has been stunning this year. A neighbour who bought one for
the same position on her house had no flowers at all but in her case I
think it's too much pruning after years of no where near enough so it
will be my fault. Mind you hers does have some decades to go to reach
the age of ours and it's a grafted plant too.

The one at the top of the Magnolia delavayi is in full bloom but as
Charlie explained, it's been allowed to do its own thing and has
reached optimum height so simply flowers wonderfully and at will! One
of those on the lawn - the longest established - is just breaking now
and is covered in blooms, the second is just about to go but has just a
very few leaves breaking and the third is the rogue with literally one
raceme.

My wife cut back our two wisteria. I should never have bought her new
secateurs fir Xmas. The wisteria that had two flowers last year has no
flowers this year. The wisteria, which had almost reached the eaves,
but had no flowers last year has four flowers this year. She also cut
back my 40 year old grape vine. It died.

I used to have someone who helped in the garden who was "Sweeney Todd"
to me! I couldn't turn my back on any new, baby shrub without him
lopping a third off it! He killed an Aloysia triphylla by doing that
just before a cold winter and he took several inches out of newly
planted Eucalyptus hedge plants and set it back by about 2 years! We
sometimes get customers buying a new shrub whose first question is
"when can I cut it back?"
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk