Selfsufficientish.com

Hi
I have a bit of a problem afoot.

My husband and I are in the process of purchasing an old cottage. There is a very well establish vine wisteria which grows up the side wall and front of the property.

Ive been informed today that ill will have to be removed due to some building work which needs to be undertaking on the wall it grows from.

I have no idea how old it is but from the size I guess its been there for at least 15 (quite possibly more) years - im not sure how fas they grow.

It guts me to think we're going to lose such an amazing plant and I was just wondering if there is any way of saving it, even if it means cutting it back quite heavily before its moved.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks

MEW x

Did a quick google and the general consensus is that it's tricky but not necessarily impossible. If you dig it out with as large a rootball as possible and plenty of soil, it may be OK - it's root disturbance they don't like and apparently they have wide spreading roots.

We had one by the corner of the house that the surveyor suggested we remove [1970s house] So sadly we did.Last year at least 8 years later a wisteria appeared in the same spot so Iam going to try and shift it but will not get much rootball due to paths tarmac drive etc.Wish me luck and I will cross my fingers for yours.

For us the whisteria are a perpetual problem that we cut back, spray with roundup and rip up roots of. If it is anything like ours good luck accidentally killing it!

We had one which had to be moved off the wall when the house was repointed. When we put it back in place it never flowered. Then we realised it was dead! Now we were actually happy about this because it never flowered very much (despite proper pruning), was a pale pink colour which we didn't like, birds roosted in it right over the doorway from the living room so pooped all over the doorstep, and it entwined itself into everything, the window frames and the elec and telephone cables running up the house, the eaves, you name it.

I planted an annual climber in its place then the rotten thing started coming back from somewhere deep under the house - which my husband dug out. I bet it comes back again though!