Key task Monty Don tells all gardeners to do now to have best wisteria next year

Iconic horticulturist Monty Dons gardening tips are widely considered to be the Holy Grail of gardening advice in the UK, and for good reason.

The BBC Gardeners' World host has a stunning private garden, Longmeadow, in Ivington, Herefordshire, which is often hailed as one of the most beautiful gardens in all of Britain.

Longmeadow also serves as the primary filming location for the BBC programme, so its safe to say Monty Dons gardening advice is unmatched.

Now, Monty Don is sharing some key gardening tips for a beloved plant we see in full bloom all across the country during the summer months.

Planting wisteria in your garden is a sure shot way to transform your outdoor space to look like its straight out of a fairytale. The dreamy plant with its trailing blooms makes for a vivid addition to any garden, its striking flowers adding an element of magic to gardens and homes.

Wisteria brings with it spectacular blooms, especially between April and June, classified as late spring and early summer in the UK, but to achieve that, the trick lies in planning ahead.

Wisteria plants tend to produce fantastic lengthy clusters of fragrant blossoms in a bevy of shades including deep purple, pink, lilac, and white, and while this plant typically flowers in between April and June, it can also be encouraged to produce a second display or flourish in the late summer months of July and August.

Monty Dons advice for blooming wisteria

As mentioned, if youre looking to achieve the best possible blooms for your wisteria next year, you need to act now and plan ahead.

According to Monty Don, theres one key gardening task green-thumbers can undertake now which will result in drop-dead gorgeous blooms next year.

The task? A simple prune. As per the legendary horticulturist, its imperative to prune wisteria, cutting back all new growth to six inches.

Monty Don shares: Wisteria produces its flowers on new growth, which in turn emerges from spurs off the main shoots. When they have finished flowering and for most of us that is around the middle of June is the best time to prune all this years new shoots back to a spur, leaving no more than about 6 inches of growth.

In the process the whole plant can be tidied, trained and tied in so that there are no loose, trailing shoots.

For those struggling with exactly how much wisteria growth to prune, Monty Don has clear guidance: If there is any doubt about how hard to prune, err on the side of cutting too lightly and then in the new year, when the foliage has all died back, you can prune again, reducing each side shoot to just 2 or 3 inches.