Mystery plant

[ChrisB]

I know this is nature's own pruning method but its left me with an interesting problem.  The wisteria does not appear, on first inspection, to have snapped, so yes, if I can get the tree bit out (lol), I could buy one of those obelisk things for it to grow up.  But its going to be very difficult to do that.  First though, I'm thinking to cut off all the top so I just have the two wisteria stems, and it does already sprout from them so there is a good chance it would recover, but that's a job for next year I suspect.  Its such a shame.  I thought the wisteria was getting sufficiently stout to grow without the tree supporting it actually, but now I'm not so sure.   But its been just as windy today again, much too windy to go out and do anything, that's for sure.  The forecast looks as if the wind will drop some by tomorrow.  All the trees are totally dessicated here too.  If it doesn't rain soon, I fear a lot of other plants will become vulnerable too.

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Chris
Perhaps you could leave it where it fell and train it horizontally backwards and forwards. Gradually training upwards as the stems become rigid. You may then end up with a wall of flower on both sides. It seems a shame to lose the flowering potential it already has. You could then train a scrambler or other climber that flowers at a different time through it.

Just a thought

P.S. you could join the two beds together and create an herbaceous island with the wisteria as the centre point. Less grass to cut

[Lesley Cox]

I do hope you can retrive something of the Wisterias Chris. They take so long to grow up and settle into flowering well. Some good suggestions there. Best wishes for a rescue effort. I hate wind it is so destructive.

[ChrisB]

That wasn't an option I had considered, Graham, but I'll think on it.  The biggest problem is getting the tree trunk disentangled from the wisteria.  I'm going to have to cut off the umbrella part of the plants for sure, but it will recover from that pruning in a couple of years or so I think.  If only I can get that tree trunk out then I will have options.  I'm still waiting for the wind to die down, its still blowing a gale out there.

[Maggi Young]

I would HOPE (!!) that the tree trunk is rotten enough to allow for gentle removal out the bottom end of the wisteria..... bit by bit.....

[ChrisB]

Good news.  We've been out this morning to assess the wisteria situation.  Took off all the
umbrella canopy, then the tree stump within was examined.  We sawed away at the
top end of the stump, which had bits of old tree limbs protruding etc, got rid of that,
then we spotted that there was a crack down the whole trunk.  Harry put his wedges
in it and started trying to lever it apart, but it wasn't working, but what we did notice
was that the whole stump was moving, so he hit the top end that we'd sawed with
the big mallet and I pulled at the bottom end, and it slid out.  Hey presto, we have
our wisteria back!  Now all we have to do is sort out how to support it.  For now
three pieces of wood in a wigwam arrangement through the branches, but longer
term we need something more robust. But at least I still have the wisteria and have
high hopes it will return to its former glory one day.

[Maggi Young]

Hooray for Harry!

This is very encouraging news..... well done to you both...... now we just have to wait for the fab wisteria pix in coming years, eh?!!

[Lesley Cox]

Excellent news Chris, like hearing that a riend who was in a bad accident will be all right after all. Well done. (Which still doesn't name our little mystery plant though. )

[ChrisB]

You are quite right Lesley.  But it did survive the wisteria falling on it, so its ok.  I've cut back all around it too, so hoping it will do a little more flowering before the autumn closes in on us.  And I think I'll take it along to the discussion weekend too, in case someone there knows its full name.  I think John will look it up in a book he has eventually, but I don't like to bother him, he's a busy man.