Does anyone grow wisteria?

[Vinca]

I've got a VERY tall architectural feature on the back of the house I tolerate only because I can't afford to tear it down. (Our house is an antique cape and the "thing" is silo shaped and houses the back entry - needless to say, a previous owner constructed it.) We've covered it in natural red cedar shingles to try to get it to visually blend into the woods behind it. It occurred to me (in the middle of the night, of course) this might be an opportunity to grow a wisteria vine. I remember seeing an entire side of a large, old, brick building in Portland, Maine, just covered with wisteria and it was spectacular. Do you think the vine would cling to the cedar shingles without support? I don't want to wreck the siding by installing any kind of support system, but if it will grow into the shingles naturally, that might work.

[tekisui]

1. You may have to put up a temporary support system,

a small wire or ties as it climbs. But, eventually, it should be able to support itself.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. They can get very heavy... but if you train it like a tree so it can support itself at the base

you might be able to make it work.

helpful link on GardenWeb..
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/accout/msg1007010828316.html

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out where I could plant one in our yard, but no luck yet. :(
A neighbor has one freestanding in their yard, supported by a circular iron support (like a huge tomato cage) It's glorious.
When I took a walk the other day to get the pic of the gigantic one, I could smell it over a block away. yummy.

good luck!

[Vinca]

3. Thanks for the link. I really hope I can figure out a way to do it.

The mature plants are truly spectacular.

[dgibby]

4. You might want to rethink that.

Wisteria can wreck structures. The vine grows very large, is heavy, the tendrils can work their way under your siding, shingles. I've seen it kill giantic loblolly pines. It's probably the closest thing to kudzu you'll ever plant, and, btw, it spreads, so it can also ruin your foundation.

I love wisteria and have some, but it is invasive. I have it planted in the middle of the yard, and am training it to grow more like a tree.

[Melissa G]

5. Yeah, I grow wisteria and now I am trying to kill wisteria...

It has taken over my front and side yards. I recommend not letting it get a foothold in your yard or you too will likely regret it. It is a seriously invasive plant!

[yy4me]

6. When we bought our house 40 years ago, wisteria had grown

up the northwest side of the house, a 2 1/2 story spread. It had made its way under the old shingles and was a highway for ants. We tore it down immediately on the advice of a landscaper we knew. It left marks on the siding. That part did not matter so much to us because we knew we would have to reside the old homestead in a few years. Ivy is the same way. It embeds tentacles into the siding that are hard to remove. A house near us had the whole side covered with ivy and when they removed it, the surface has all rough pock marks with bits of vine stuck to it.

[Vinca]

7. Yike! I had no idea. The highway for ants comment really got my

attention, too. We fight ants every summer and I don't want to make it any easier for them. There used to be a giant rhododendron in front of that part of the house and we had to remove it to get to the siding. Maybe I should buy another one instead of the wisteria idea.

[troubleinwinter]

8. I just planted some Virginia Creeper to cover a seriously ugly fence.

Ya know the ivy-covered colleges? It's usually Virginia Creeper, not Ivy.

Green in summer, gorgeous fire-red in autumn. Very pretty leaves, somewhat like grape leaves. Grows fast and clings. Does fine in cold winter climates (as proven by the Eastern college buildings).