I have a 1st year wisteria growing up my fence. Do I need to do anything special to insure it's survival ?

Question

I worry it might not survive a Nebraska winter.

Answer 1

New plants need an inch of water per week.
They need to be in a sunny spot to bloom, but don't expect young vines to bloom while their vegetative growth is being established. Wisterias like well-drained acid soil and, once established, don't usually need to be watered unless there's a drought. Don't fertilize after the plant is established (unless shoot and foliage growth and color is not good) because too much nitrogen (or even too much balanced fertilizer) can give you lots of leaves with no flowers. If your plant doesn't bloom, a heavy application of superphosphate (0-20-0) in early spring will help.

You will also need to do some annual pruning to prevent the vine from taking over surrounding plants and structures & to promote flowering.

This site illustrates how to prune Wisteria:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1246.html

I never had to do anything to Wisteria in the winter in zone 5 & this site says this about their hardiness: " there are 3 wisteria growing here in central MN (northern z4) at the local park that have bloomed several times with only minimum dieback in a rather exposed area, and several that bloom at the MN Landscape Arboretum in the Twin Cities. If you can get them from a northern source, they should take zone 4. Just to be on the safe side, I would suggest planting them someplace sheltered."
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/grtlks/msg0810315814807.html

Good luck! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

Wisteria is the vine from hell. Once it takes root, you can't kill it out, even with spray. It will take the shingles off your roof, the siding off of your house, and choke nearby vegetation. If you have the room though, it does look good in the summer.

Once it is rooted, the only thing you need to do is trim the vines that go where you don't want them.