Why don't you just post your questions here? That's what the forum is for....questions about anything related to gardening in any shape, form or fashion--including, but not limited to, landscaping, lawn care, growing vegetables, fuits, herbs, flowers, ornamentals, trees, shrubs, etc.

I didn't want to bore everyone. Dawn, I will take this as an invitation.

I am building a pergola and wanted to plant Wisteria to cover it. I love the look of Wisteria and can, easily, manage what is above the ground, but I want to know what is going on underground with regard to roots. Are the roots as aggressive underground as the vine above ground? I have lateral lines and a septic tank about 5 feet from where I wanted to plant the vine? Thanks for any feedback.

David

David, I don't really have an answer for you, but I did want to reinforce Dawn message of any and everything gardening, both for you and others who may be hesitant to ask.

This is not a precise answer to your question. I have a wisteria given to me three years ago in a 10" pot. I've never gotten around to planting it. Always on the list as soon as I finish "insert other task here". However, it has thrived nonetheless and is looking quite good, even with neglect. I've never watered it, and when you consider all that growth coming from a 10" pot which is only half full of soil, that tells me it CAN survive without aggressive roots. It doesn't necessarily mean it wouldn't have aggressive roots if it were in the ground. I just don't know. But if you don't get any other responses, extrapolate what you will from this info.

Seedmama

Growing it in a large pot might be the solution.

I have a large wistera plant that is growing along the front of my house and trellised up the porch. I have no problem with the roots, but the are thick and grow pretty deep. This wistera was planted by the last person who lived here and has been here for I don't know how many years, but I would need a chain saw if I wanted to take it down at any point. The base is almost the size of a small tree and the roots behave as such.

Hope that helps!

David,

We have a wisteria planted by the side porch on the north side of the house and a second one planted by the east-facing front porch. They have been there about 10 or 11 years and both have to coop with shade from the two-story house and nearby trees. While the vines themselves are somewhat aggressive, we really have not had any problem with the roots. Keep in mind that our wisterias are in horrid red clay soil so maybe the very thick clay combines with the somewhat shady exposure to help keep the roots in check. We have a lot more trouble with the trumpet creeper vine roots spreading than with the wisteria. However, ours aren't near lateral lines so I cannot comment on what they would do in that case. I probably wouldn't plant one too close to lateral lines because it might be a problem.

The solution might be a large container as other folks here suggested, or it might be simply a matter of selecting the right wiseria. There are three kinds of wisteria generally sold here--Chinese, Japanese and American. The American wisteria is much, much, much less aggressive than the others.

Good luck with your pergola and your wisteria.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: American WIsteria

I had two wisteria a number of years ago that literally took over and destroyed a small tree in my flower garden. After removing the vine, I fought the roots for over 5 years before I think I've finally gotten all of them killed. They came up on the other side of my garden and when I began digging they were deep and huge. You don't know how far they've grown until a sprout comes up somewhere you least expect. Keep it confined!
Cooper

I had a row of wisteria that was so hard to contain. I could cut a "mountain" of growth every month to keep it contained. Later I tried to kill it, dig it out, and get rid of it. I had little plants come up was far as 10 feet away from the originals.

I know, they look awesome in the spring when they bloom, but I would never plant one again.

Now, I plant some purple bean plant to cover my fence, and that works great. It dies when it starts freezing, and just a few seeds in the spring will get the fence covered again.

Moni

{{gwi:1098732}}

Thanks everyone. After reading all the posts, so far, I think there are two solutions. No Wisteria, at all, or go with the pot idea. Maybe, if I plant in a pot, the vines won't get so massive.

Cooper's post is the one I did not want to hear, but was, also, the one I feared the most.

Grapes would pose the same problem as Wisteria, right? I am beginning to wish I had not started this project, but seems we will, always, do anything that will make moms happy.

This forum proves a point..............you can research all you want, but the quickest way to learn is to ask those who's knowledge comes from experience. Thank you all!

David

David,
Be sure not to miss the third solution: moni's idea to grow Purple Hyacinth Bean (lablab). I, too, use it as a Wisteria substitute. You get "the look", it's lovely, and as a warm weather annual it is very manageable.

Please post pics of your pergola as it comes along. Don't wait for that perfect shot. We'd like to cheer you along with the progress.

Seedmama

David,

I wanted to reinforce that you did a good thing by posting your question here. The synergy of this thread has helped me personally. I mentioned that my potted wisteria had never been a priority to get in the ground. In reading this thread, I've realized one of the reasons I've not made it a priority is because of fears similar to yours. Subconsciously, I've known that I either need to research and prepare before I plant, or be prepared to defend myself. As it turns out I have a very large container that has been empty for two years. The answer for both problems was right here in front of me, but without you setting the ball rolling with your question, I probably still would be without a solution to either.

Thanks!
Seedmama

Well, I brought mom to my house for a couple of days and she saw the start of her Pergola, so there is no turning back, now. She has a beautiful 15 acre piece of Heaven in Stillwater, but I am bringing her here, as soon as her home sells. I worry about her. She is 84 years young and still mows with her John Deere, chops her own firewood, uses her Weedeater, trims her own trees, and fishes. She just had an 8 lb bass mounted, which she caught in her pond. I am eager to get her over here so if anyone wants a great place in Stillwater, I know of one.........I digress!

I decided I will plant the Wisteria in a pot, for sure.

Moni, I will take your suggestion and look for seed at Lowes for the Purple Bean Plant. I will use 'em both. Thank you. I really enjoy seeing the picture you posted. I keep going back up there to look at it. It looks great on that rail fence.

SeedMama, when Wisteria is planted in a pot, do you take extra precautions to keep it from freezing out in the winter? Also, that big pot you have, that has been empty for two years............I think it would look better at my house. It can still be yours, but we could keep it here.....*grin*.

Well, I have a big brush pile to burn before the wind picks up. This forum is a fun place, but sort of addictive.

Thanks everyone,

David

David, you may have read here, that I am an avid cyclist. I rode quite a few miles over the weekend, and saw so many gorgeous Wisteria I lost count.

Maybe mine was a vine variety? I don't know. It came with the house.

I will look and see, if I have a picture of the mess when I trimmed it.

Must have deleted that, when I moved from that house. But I can tell you, the pile was taller than me, and I am 5'4"and a half inch. :)

Moni

David,
I'm not exaggerating when I say I've neglected it. It was given to me in this pot and I've never done anything with it. I've never watered it, I've never moved it. The kindest thing I've done for it is ignore it. And no, I've never put it inside.

I will say it is in a somewhat protected area. I have a walkout basement on the east side of the house, and there is a retaining wall beyond that which effectively turns it into a New Orleans courtyard. Low and sunken. In addition, there is a solid windbreak of trees on the northside.

Moni...your picture...that was of wisteria, right? I didn't want anyone to be confused, thinking that was of the purple bean plant...unless I'm mistaken. Either way, that was gorgeous!

Sharon

David,
In the backyard of our previous house, my husband built a beautiful arbor (wish we could have brought it with us!), and I planted purple clematis on each side of it. The clematis did a beautiful job of covering the sides and the top of the arbor. It bloomed profusely in the spring, and continued to bloom sporadically throughout the summer although not as heavily as the first spring bloom. One summer it was so thick that I had to tie it up to keep it from covering the front of the arbor and the bench. It didn't appear to cause any problems with the roots at all. I will be planting some at our new house as soon as I can figure out a good place for it. I just thought I'd mention it in case it might also work for your situation.

Suzie

Suzie

Thanks Suzie, thats good too. Also if I didn't have so much already, Passion Fruit might do well, but I like the ideas of those in the forum better.

David

If you want wisteria, make sure you buy the American wisteria (wisteria frutescens and you won't find it at the big box stores) and then treat it like planting bamboo. Plant it in a 20-24 inch heavy duty plastic pot like trees come planted in and bury the pot, leaving about 3-inches above ground. This should keep it out of your lateral lines.

I've seen Chinese wisteria (wisteria chinesis) eat 4x4 porch posts. Literally squeeze them in half. In a city park in San Francisco, they have Chinese wisteria growing on an arbor that's probably 40' x 40' made out of 6-inch diameter steel pipes filled with concrete and boat anchor chain. So far, the arbor is holding its own and the wisteria is gorgeous.

Personally, I would go with clematis 'jackmanii' like Suzie suggested. It's pretty aggressive as far as covering and has beautiful purple flowers. But then, I love purple hyacinth bean....it has beautiful foliage and the blooms are a bonus, reseeds itself also......oh decisions, decisions.

AND YOUR MOM IS MY HERO and ROLE MODEL!!

Welcome to the forum.

Marcy

"After reading all the posts, so far, I think there are two solutions. No Wisteria, at all, or go with the pot idea."

Third option - go with an American native Wisteria. May still be slightly invansive in your area, but it will grow at roughly 1/3rd the rate of Asian wisterias. Shouldn't have the "weedy" problems that you'll have with the Asian varieties.

Sharon, that picture was wisteria!

Moni, motorcycles or bicycles?

Walkerjks, your suggestion sounds good, but the rapid growth above ground is what appeals to me about Wisteria. I am not a patient person and I would like it to cover by tomorrow, *grin*.

Thanks Marcy for your kind words for mom. She's a tough 'ol gal. I brought some of her furniture here and, of course, some starts of her favorite plants. Lots of Lilac's and some other things.

David

David,
Your mom is really fortunate to have a son like you who is going to such lengths to make her transition an easy one. When we were in the position of helping my very independent mother-in-law, who was 93 at the time, move from the home where she'd lived for 40 years, we found that what helped her the most was being able to take as many of her things with her as possible. I think whatever you choose for the pergola, it's going to be beautiful and she's going to love it.

Suzie

I stumbled on this post while trying to find an answer to a wisteria problem I have. There was mature wisteria tree in the house when I bought it. It was all over other trees and even the house. It was out of control so we cut the tree to the ground about 3 years ago, but did not take the stump ou because of the expense. I am having an awful time with the sprouts, they not only come from the stump and the areas around it but even as far as 10-20 feet away! Does anyone know how to deal with this? Will taking the stump out help? I'd hate to spend the money to take the stump out and continue with the problem. Help!!!