Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

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Spreckly
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Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

Post by Spreckly »

Some years since we visited a beautiful walled garden, and saw a stunning rose on a large pergola. My husband took a few slips, and we asked the head gardener what its name was. He didn't know!

When we got home, we looked it up on the internet, and found that it was called Kiftsgate. The slips grew really well, and it was planted on our pergola.

Boy did it grow!!! Each year it had to be pruned back hard, and the following year it seemed to grow a lot more.

I got sick of keeping the path clear of dead petals, and asked one of my sons to cut it back, which he did last year. It has now died off, a very unsightly mess. This morning I have managed to get it all down, our garden waste bin is now full, and I am turning my attention to the Wisteria, which is more invasive than the rose.

The Wisteria was cut off at the same time, I made a futile attempt this morning to get some of it down. I have managed to get the main twisted stem off, but the long whippy shoots appear to be budding, how I have no idea. I will have another go in a few days when my poor back and shoulders have recovered. Unfortunately the top of the pergola is just too high for me to reach, and after several falls, I dare not use steps.

We loved both these climbers, but in my new circumstances, I would be unable to prune and keep them at bay, such a shame, the Wisteria was truly beautiful, but in the wrong place.
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Mo
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Re: Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

Post by Mo »

I have /had a Wisteria. Planted against the garage when we built it 40 years ago. It did very well for 20 years and was never pruned, but I needed to repaint the rendered wall, so I pruned it hard and eased it forward (propped with step ladders etc) then tied it back. I has been gradually dying back ever since and now is more or less finished apart from some runners that I rooted.
It was quite job to stop it being overwhelmed be the clematis montana rubens that we planted on the other half of the wall, the other side of the door. That is flowering beautifully now, the bits that I didn't get pruned last year (couldn't reach from tall stepladder, didn't set ladder up) are climbing over the roof. Must be brave this year.

Are your 'long whippy shoots' that are budding coming from the ground, or hanging in mid-air.
If they are rooted (or if they could be rooted) would it be possible to let them grow and keep it to 5' or a height you could manage without climbing?
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Spreckly
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Re: Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

Post by Spreckly »

The whippy shoots are growing from the trunks which were cut off Mo!
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Mo
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Re: Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

Post by Mo »

Bet they'd root if you stuck them in.
May flower if you put them in water indoors. And probably grow roots int the water.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Spreckly
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Re: Goodbye Kiftsgate rose and look out Wisteria

Post by Spreckly »

I could try and get the shoots to root Mo, but not sure where I would put them if they did! Once saw a beautiful Wisteria right across the front of an old pub in the South West, absolutely stunning. We just put our two climbers in the wrong place.
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