Is Wisteria a Hidden Danger to This House? Seeking Advice!

[gardenqestion]

Looking for advice regarding a house we’re considering purchasing. There’s a Wisteria plant, planted roughly in 2010, growing directly against the front wall near the entrance. It’s trained along the walls using a cable system.

We’re concerned about potential issues it might have caused. Could the roots have impacted the foundation or pipes? Could it lead to problems like damp, subsidence, or pest issues? Also, could the plant have caused damage to the brickwork, such as cracks or water ingress?

Is it straightforward to remove Wisteria completely, or does it tend to regrow? Should this be a major concern, or is it unlikely to cause significant issues?

I am uk based if that effects the growth in anyway

Would really appreciate some help!

Thanks

 

[Sean Regan]

Hi and welcome.

In my opinion, you should have little to worry about. Wisteria is like a vine and easy to control, but it's best to make sure it only grows where you want it.
The wood is soft, so easy to prune, down to two to four buds per branch in January, will encourage it to flower.
I f you don't like it, cut it off at the root If it starts to send out more shoots the following year cut them off.

We've several wisterias.

 

[cpp gardener]

It can be a problem if planted right up against the house. if it’s planted a foot or more away, you’re good.
It is quite difficult to get rid of without chemical help.

 

[Sean Regan]

You can worry too much about wisteria.

When we bought our house in 1972 there was a wisteria growing up against the garage wall.

It eventually became massive and I built this pergola to support it. This is from around 2015.

Most of it died off a few years later.

Except the one branch with the bungee support that is trained over the pergola on the back of the house.

The two small branches you can see I trained over that end of the pergola.
Another bit had self-rooted near the garage side door and I trained that over the other end. I bought a new white one and planted it in the middle. I've trained the branches to "cascade."

In over fifty years, the roots have had no effect on the foundations of the garage, nor what would be more likely, the crazy York stone path next to the garage wall.

What I would suggest, is that you remove any unwanted new growth as it appears near the bottom of the trunk. New growth can grow several inches in a day.

 

[gardenqestion]

You can worry too much about wisteria.

When we bought our house in 1972 there was a wisteria growing up against the garage wall.

It eventually became massive and I built this pergola to support it. This is from around 2015.

View attachment 106102

Most of it died off a few years later.

View attachment 106101

Except the one branch with the bungee support that is trained over the pergola on the back of the house.

View attachment 106104

The two small branches you can see I trained over that end of the pergola.
Another bit had self-rooted near the garage side door and I trained that over the other end. I bought a new white one and planted it in the middle. I've trained the branches to "cascade."

View attachment 106105

In over fifty years, the roots have had no effect on the foundations of the garage, nor what would be more likely, the crazy York stone path next to the garage wall.

What I would suggest, is that you remove any unwanted new growth as it appears near the bottom of the trunk. New growth can grow several inches in a day.

Thank you this gives me a lot more confidence it will not cause an issue!

 

[Sean Regan]

Thank you this gives me a lot more confidence it will not cause an issue!

Ideally, it needs training, you seem to have a lot of unnecessary growth.

This one is supported by lateral wires strung between the concrete posts.
We've had it for about thirty years. It came in a small pot.

You should prune it down to two to four buds on each small branch in January.


Then you'll get plenty of blossom. You know you've got it right if you get this sort of display before a leaf appears.
You'll be pruning off unwanted growth all summer if you don't want it to do, "it's own thing."

It looks as if the roots have lifted the little curtilage wall a bit.
They didn't, it was a huge rogue cherry tree planted next to the fence in next door's garden.
Every year I was collecting bin bags full of blossom that always fell on our side of the fence. The main root of the tree, as they didn't give it much water, grew our side of the fence and it also lifted the little patio.
So I dug down under the patio and cut it off and replaced the patio. The tree then died and they replaced them with some silver birch, which are just as much trouble.

 

[Sean Regan]

I got quite a bit done this afternoon. I pruned more off next door's silver birches where they overhang our garden. What I wanted to prune was easier to see now the leaves have all fallen.

But I can't reach the very top ones with my Fiskar's telescopic pruner, even when standing on the roof of the shed.

There's no way I'd stand on the roof if this were a "store bought shed." It's the one I built out of 1" thick old fashioned roofing ply, for our eight-year old daughter's every expanding menagerie of rabbits and guinea pigs, nearly fifty years ago. It's still as solid as it ever was. I've no problems standing on this roof. I feel quite safe. The golden rule is when reaching up with the pruner, "don't move your feet!"

I took quite a bit off.

Although it doesn't look like it.

I also re-wired these tree azaleas.

I do it every year, to stop them spreading out too far.
This is a small garden, so I don't like plants to become too dominant (other than the big acer palmatum).

The black areas on the lawn is dead moss the result of a dose of iron sulphate.

I also gave the acer in the bottom bed a prune.

I put some more retaining wire around this acer. Lots of little buds on it already.

As always, the rhodos have lots of buds. Here's a few.

I collected the last of the leaves in the front garden. There's a couple of viburnums in there in flower, not many, as I prune them to stop them growing too tall.

 

[Anniekay]

You'll never remove wisteria. It grows shoots off of underground roots and will come up again and again wherever it likes. After the trunk has been removed, any root left behind just pops up another plant.

If you are not inclined to prune it back every year, I wouldn't buy a house with Wisteria growing near it. On the other hand, if you have dealt with it before ( which you probably haven't, thus this post) I would buy a different house without it.

Myself? I live in a hot climate where it grows rampant and I despise it !!

 

[Sean Regan]

Wisteria in the UK isn't that big a problem.

 

[gardenqestion]

Wisteria in the UK isn't that big a problem.

Does it not keep coming back in the UK after removal? Is it not a issue in the uk as growth is very slow due to the climate?

 

[Sean Regan]

No, the growth here in the UK is rapid, as I've already mentioned in a previous post,

New shoots in the Summer can grow several inches overnight, at the base or side shoots yards away up the trunk. But it's completely "manageable," if you give it enough attention.

We've had wisterias for over forty years, we've six, I think my experiences in the UK outweigh any "horror stories" from other countries, where no physical evidence in the way of photos has been provided.


My old one self-rooted in three places in the border along the garage wall. I dug out the middle two, the roots weren't that deep, they've not returned. I didn't need to use any chemicals.

 

[Anniekay]

No, the growth here in the UK is rapid, as I've already mentioned in a previous post,

New shoots in the Summer can grow several inches overnight, at the base or side shoots yards away up the trunk. But it's completely "manageable," if you give it enough attention.

We've had wisterias for over forty years, we've six, I think my experiences in the UK outweigh any "horror stories" from other countries, where no physical evidence in the way of photos has been provided.


My old one self-rooted in three places in the border along the garage wall. I dug out the middle two, the roots weren't that deep, they've not returned. I didn't need to use any chemicals.

You take good care with your wisteria and I think you would agree that it does need that attention.

For anyone who doesn't have or want to get experience tending to it, it's a bit of work to contain.

I don't have pictures of the Wisteria that was planted years ago just outside of my fenceline. It has grown up into the trees a good 60' or more from the mother plant. It's constantly growing into and along my fence, so, I'm constantly at it, removing it, and it has popped up all over my yard from under the fence, even as much as 10' away. There are also two that are coming up , one 50' and the other about 35' away from the mother plant, probably seeded by birds. You can't dig those up completely because they've rooted up under the trees. Cut those, they come right back.

If you are not in love with and don't want to be climbing ladders and digging it up, it's not the plant for you. This ^^^ is my point.

 

[Meadowlark]

Looking for advice regarding a house we’re considering purchasing. There’s a Wisteria plant, planted roughly in 2010.....

In the grand scheme of things, IMO, there are perhaps hundreds of more important factors to consider when purchasing a house than the presence of Wisteria. If you love the house, the location, the state of repair, etc. etc. all of these completely overwhelm any concern about Wisteria.

I purchased our ranch in 1980. The house was adorned with Wisteria. The Wisteria still exists to this day and is completely manageable. No chemicals required. It would have been a colossal mistake to let the presence of a plant determine a purchase decision.

I love what @Sean Regan has done with Wisteria in the UK...but my interest is more in veggie growing so I just keep the Wisteria in check. No problems at all.