July 28, 2026
Q:
I had a wisteria on the front of the house That had just got too large for me to cope with, so I have cut it down to a 4 foot across lumpy stump. It is sprouting again and I’d like to keep just one growth at about 6 foot tall for flowers but It just keeps sprouting a forest of new growth every few days. How do I stop the growth I don’t want and keep the one branch I want?
A:
I think you have a bit of a problem here! Wisterias are naturally very large and vigorous plants, and yours will have a big root system if it was an established plant when you cut it back. This means it has a power house giving it the energy to keep on trying to regrow more or less indefinitely and you will find it pretty well impossible to restrict it to one small shoot.
Frankly your best bet would probably be to attempt to kill the stump, and start again with a new plant, perhaps in a large pot. Otherwise it’s constant vigilance, pulling off every unwanted shoot as it appears, I’m afraid!
Good luck…
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