How can you make a wisteria vine into a tree?

Mona McPherson
by Mona McPherson
Our wisteria is intent on eating our deck. I'm sure at one time it was a nice, docile tree, but we haven't kept up with it and now it is a monster. All we can do is prune it back severely every year ... but I would love to have it be a beautiful, graceful tree that behaves itself.

  5 answers
  • Barbara Baldwin Barbara Baldwin on Feb 04, 2018

    You'd have to change its DNA because it's a vine, not a tree. That doesn't mean it can't be pruned back to resemble a tree. Eyeball it. Take some off then eyeball it again..

  • Mogie Mogie on Feb 04, 2018

    A vine is going to grow that way. Wisteria can get out of control unless you prune them on a regular basis and then they only look good for a few months out of the year.

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Feb 04, 2018

    Wisteria vines are not trees. You will have to severely prune it every year. Maybe train it on a trellis.

  • Emily Emily on Feb 04, 2018

    You could probably espalier it against a nice heavy solid wall of some sort. Maybe you could have an iron framework installed at the end of your deck and train it on that. And then just keep clipping it.

  • Joanne Kolson Joanne Kolson on Feb 04, 2018

    They are beautiful but so invasive. Cut and cut. Use tie wraps to help keep it under control. Don't worry about killing it...it wont die! You may have to cut it way back and start over to gain control, then keep after it. Good luck!