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Month: September 2022

Cercospora Leaf Spot - Prevention and Treatment.jpg
Cercospora Leaf Spot – Prevention and Treatment

Cercospora Leaf Spot – Prevention and Treatment

What is Cercospora Leaf Spot? Cercospora Leaf Spot is a fungal disease that, fortunately, will not prove fatal to your plants. However, it does spread rather quickly and often appears to be more problematic for plants growing in shady positions. I have personally noticed the disease quite frequently on Hydrangeas, some examples include the smooth, panicle, oakleaf and bigleaf types of Hydrangea. How to recognise Cercospora Leaf Spot This disease first appears on the underside of older leaves as irregular…

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Identifying Phytophthora Root Rot and treatment
Phytophthora Root Rot – prevention and treatment

Phytophthora Root Rot – prevention and treatment

What is Phytophthora Root Rot? Phytophthora Root Rot is a fungal disease that spreads through the soil and there are several different types too. Unfortunately, it’s actually more common than you might think, however, it is often mistaken for honey fungus because this also causes similar symptoms above the soil such as wilting and yellow/brown foliage. The issue arises as it is commonly associated with wet and water-logged soils. These conditions on their own also cause similar symptoms as it…

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Growing Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'
Growing Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’

Growing Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’

The Wisteria Amethyst Falls is a dwarf cultivar of Wisteria. It grows far less vigorously than the Chinese and Japanese varieties commonly sold in garden centres and nurseries. I personally grow Amethyst Falls in pots because it’s perfect for this, being that it is such a compact variety. That being said, it grows up to 5m tall and 3m wide. It blooms on strings of racemes that grow down from vines in masses of blue-lilac flowers from late spring through…

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Wisteria pests and diseases to watch out for including wisteria scale insect, vine weevil, mildew, Phytophthora root rot and more
Wisteria pests and diseases to watch out for

Wisteria pests and diseases to watch out for

Wisteria is generally a problem-free climber, with the most common complaints usually being a lack of flowers or wilting and yellowing leaves. But like all plants, there are a few pests and diseases to watch out for. Some of these can cause your Wisteria to not flower or to die back, so they cannot be ignored. We have put together a guide to help you identify what’s wrong with your Wisteria and what you can do about it. Wisteria pests…

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I discuss why your wisteria might not be flowering including incorrect pruning, to much nitrogen, not enough sun.
Why is my wisteria not blooming? 7 Reasons

Why is my wisteria not blooming? 7 Reasons

There are quite a few reasons your Wisteria may not be flowering, from the variety of the plant itself, through to its location and growing conditions to how you’re treating it. A couple of the most common reasons we see that cause a loss of flowers are, firstly, you have pruned it incorrectly and removed the flowering shoots, and secondly, you are either feeding it too much or providing them with too much nitrogen in the soil. Ideally, you should…

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How and when to prune wisteria to encourage more flowers and control the size
How to prune Wisteria (why, when and how)

How to prune Wisteria (why, when and how)

Wisteria, fortunately, is not a difficult plant to prune, however, it is important it’s done correctly or it can lead to your Wisterias not flowering, and we have written an informative guide on this. With this fast-growing climber, you do need to establish a pruning schedule, being sure to prune twice a year at the correct time of the season so that you will be rewarded with a stunning flush of flowers the following season. We have written a guide…

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Growing wisteria climbers in pots and containers, how to plant, prune and care for them
Growing Wisteria climbers in pots and containers

Growing Wisteria climbers in pots and containers

Growing Wisteria in pots and containers is a bit tricky if you choose one of the more vigorous growing varieties of Wisteria. This is one of the main reasons that I prefer to plant compact varieties such as Wisteria ‘Amethyst Falls’ as these will grow better in pots because they are naturally less vigorous. That being said, you can still successfully grow other large varieties such as Wisteria sinensis and Wisteria floribunda in pots. Wisterias grown in pots are great when they…

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I discuss some of the most common Wisteria problems from graft failure to scale insect and non flowering plants
Wisteria problems and what to do about them

Wisteria problems and what to do about them

Problems that you will experience with your Wisteria, such as graft failure and root diseases like honey fungus and Phytophthora root rot are either biological (pests and diseases), environmental (sun, location, etc.), or due to your care, for example, incorrect pruning results in no flowers. In this guide, I share my experience with all of these here and give advice on what to do about each of them. Specific problems I’ve already addressed specific problems in some of my other informative guides, Why…

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Will wisteria damage my house
Will a Wisteria damage my house?

Will a Wisteria damage my house?

Without proper care, a Wisteria can damage your house or the support structures they are growing up, but if managed correctly, it’s more likely they won’t. Wisterias are strong and fast-growing climbing plants with substantial stems and roots. These huge and heavy climbing plants can live for many many years, in other words, they will outlast most of us, including myself. Many older houses have huge Wisterias climbing their outer walls, they simply look stunning and create the most amazing…

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Why are my wisteria leaves turning yellow or wilting
Why are the leaves on my wisteria turning yellow or wilting?

Why are the leaves on my wisteria turning yellow or wilting?

Along with certain pests and diseases, there are a few other problems that might be behind the cause of the leaves on your Wisteria turning yellow or wilting. Common diseases that will affect your Wisteria include honey fungus and Phytophthora root rot and these are both root diseases. Waterlogging can also lead to root rot which in turn will cause both the wilting and yellowing of leaves. Another one, and one I have personally had issues with when growing wisteria…

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