Plant Doctor Archive

Pruning Pandorea

CAN you tell me when and how a wonga-wonga vine should be pruned? When I came to this property last year the big old vine had been cut back severely and, although it put on plenty of growth, there were few flowers and most of them were hidden among the greenery.

THE more often you cut wonga-wonga vines (Pandorea pandorana) back the fewer flowers you'll get. The reason it didn't flower so well this year was because it was cut back strongly last year. So the best thing to do is leave it alone this year or in late winter just cut out any really straggly bits to tidy it up, but resist the temptation to give it an overall prune. It should flower much more prolifically next year and in following seasons.

Wonga-wonga vines can be very vigorous and need quite a lot of room compared to their more sedate cousin, Pandorea jasminoides.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.