Did you know that wisteria is a member of the pea family? You might have guessed from the shape of its flowers, which have the same hood as pea flowers, or from the scent, which is utterly mesmerising and strangely pea-like.
Still, wisteria does grow a little larger than a pea plant. So what to do with it if you have a tiny garden? Well, you can actually grow wisteria as a standard plant rather than a climber so that it looks like a beautiful little tree.
Start with a young wisteria and plant it next to a very strong stake. I’ve seen standard wisterias grown against cast iron stakes, but whatever you choose, make sure it is strong and can take a good amount of weight.
As the wisteria grows, tie it in vertically to the stake (do not twine it around the stake as this weakens the ‘trunk’ you are trying to create). Once it has reached the top of the support, pinch out the lead growing shoot in early spring so that the plant develops lots of sideshoots and becomes bushy on top.
Prune the sideshoots heavily each year: to 6in in the first year, and to 1in in following years. It is always best to prune wisteria in February.
