Q I want to plant a wisteria against the wall of my new house. There is space on each side. How much sun must it have?
T. Lee, Ryde.
A Give it as much sun as possible if you want it to flower well. Left to its own devices it can climb a tree 30ft tall and flower at the top where there’s no shade. But with regular pruning, it can be managed on a 8-10ft wall. If you prune it carefully, it will flower from knee-high upwards, which looks fabulous, especially on a white wall. Equally, if you plant it where there’s only a path under the wall, the flowering branches will soon stick out too far; it’s better to have a bed below it, even if it’s a narrow one.
I’d plant it facing south. It will take a few years to begin flowering, but then you can train it on to other aspects of the house and see how it does there.
E-mail your questions to stephen.anderton@thetimes.co.uk