If Susan Orlean wrote a book about me, it might be called The Wisteria Thief. For days I eyed the purple flowers that were dripping from my neighbor Ben’s out-of-control vines. When the wild tendrils went rogue, wrapping themselves like a python around his front gate, I headed next door with a pair of clippers. Call it pruning.
Somehow I ended up with an armload of the world’s purplest purple. What to do with the flowers? There’s a reason most florists don’t stock Wisteria sinensis in their refrigerated cases. With delicate, suspended clusters of blossoms, this flowering vine is as fragile to transport as a crystal chandelier.
Luckily safety was one door over. At home, I went to work. Here are step-by-step instructions for arranging wisteria in a vase:
Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
![Garden designer Tim Callis calls wisteria a thug because of its aggressively invasive tendencies. \2\20;You should never turn your back on it,\2\2\1; he warns.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-089-733x1100.jpg)
But after it’s clipped, it looks harmless…or is it?
![The only true danger after cutting wisteria is that the heavy clusters of blossoms will snap or break off. This is to be avoided.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-092-733x1100.jpg)
Study the Shape
![When arranging wisteria, the first step is to get your bearings. Gently prop the vine—it grows on woody, sturdy branches—in a vase or jug of water so you can get a good look at its structure. Does it droop gracefully? Does it need a little shaping? Have its leaves started to appear (they emerge after the blooms)? If so, is the foliage obscuring the flowers?](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-065-733x1100.jpg)
Split the Stem
![Step two is to split the woody stem to allow the wisteria to absorb more water.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-078-733x489.jpg)
![I used an Exacto knife and made a 6-inch-long cut.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-079-733x1100.jpg)
Detangle the Flowers
![Step three is to gently disentangle the hanging clusters of flowers. Be very, very careful—you can see soft, nubby green stems are all that attach the flowers to the vine.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-067-733x489.jpg)
Trim Foliage
![Step four is to gently trim away green leaves—take it a little at a time, as if you were giving your child her first haircut—to reveal more of the vine\2\17;s shape.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-082-733x489.jpg)
Take Stock
![Step five is to stand back a few feet and see if you like the effect. Here\2\17;s where I stopped clipping the leaves—I liked the effect of leaving a few of them to frame the flowers.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-084-733x1100.jpg)
![A bud that has not opened before being cut will stay a bud forever.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-085-733x1100.jpg)
![The wisteria arrangement lasted eight days—a pretty good run—before starting to droop and look sad.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-075-733x1100.jpg)
![Despite being careful, I accidentally broke off one cluster of blossoms, so I stuck them into a little vase of water to see what happened. They lasted two days before drooping.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-060-733x1100.jpg)
![I feel like I never really look closely enough at flowers. It\2\17;s a privilege to examine wisteria up close and personal. Thanks, Ben.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wisteria-mimi-giboin-064-733x1100.jpg)
Browse all of our curated guides to Vines & Climbers 101, and see more about wisteria at:
Additionally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for wisteria with our Wisteria: A Field Guide to Planting Care & Design.
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