Don looked at a Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) that had been grown as a weeping standard. He pointed out that although wisterias are vigorous climbers, they do not really develop strong stems when trained as standards, so very strong supports are required.
Training a standard wisteria
This method is recommended by Peter Valder in his book ‘Wisterias – a comprehensive guide’ (see details below).
1. Provide the plant with a very strong wooden or metal post.
2. Tie a single, vigorous shoot to the post and allow it to climb to the top by twining. When the shoot reaches the top, untie it and carefully untwine it from the post. Tie it to the support so that the stem twines round once, or one and a half times (if the stem is kept straight it has less strength).
3. Allow the shoot to grow about 50cm above the support, then remove the tip to encourage lateral branching (which will occur along the full length of the stem). Shorten back the lower branches, but do not remove them at this stage.
4. Once the upper branch system is well developed, remove the lower branches from the trunk.
Further reading
For full details on growing, pruning and training wisterias, see ‘Wisterias: a comprehensive guide’ by Peter Valder. Florilegium, ISBN 0646220497, rrp $49.50. Available at all good book stores or from Florilegium, phone (02) 9571 8222.