Wisteria umbrellas are this spring's breakout garden trend – not only are they perfect for small spaces, but they're easier to maintain, too

Wisteria is a long-time favourite plant of mine, and I recently discovered a new way to style it: with wisteria umbrellas.

You’ve probably seen wisteria trained against a pergola or draped across the walls of a house, but the National Trust’s Berrington Hall recently revealed that their local blacksmith is currently forging some stately wisteria umbrellas to showcase their blooms – and I’m a huge fan.

To find out exactly how these wisteria umbrellas work and why they promise a breathtaking feature in the garden, I spoke to the experts.

A wisteria umbrella is a, well, umbrella-shaped support frame along which you can train your plants. It’s a fantastic way to grow wisteria, even if you’re short on space.

‘Growing a Wisteria up a support to create an ‘umbrella’ of foliage and flowers is a wonderful way to enjoy these beautiful plants in a small garden or a garden border,’ says Sheila Das, the National Trust’s head of gardens and parks. ‘They create structural interest and a focal point, or can even be used as specimen plants in a lawn if you’d really like to attract attention to them!’

Wisteria umbrellas are versatile, and you can aim for a stately and elegant look or go for a wilder aesthetic. ‘Imagine a lawn that you leave unmown as a meadow with one of these plants emerging from it,’ Sheila suggests.

Sheila Das

Sheila is the National Trust's head of gardens and parks. She studied at Kew Gardens, worked for English Heritage (at Wrest Park, Bedfordshire), and has been a garden manager at RHS Garden Wisley with responsibility for Education, Edibles, Seed and Wellbeing since 2015.

It’s an idea that we haven’t seen before, but last week, Berrington Hall revealed that it will be using wisteria umbrellas in its gardens this year – and I'm hoping to see them take off as a huge garden trend.

‘As with anything in gardening, when an idea is shared, it can become more popular, and the flower garden at Berrington is packed full of inspiration for visitors to take home and get creative with in their own gardens,’ Sheila says.

I also spoke to Andrew Porwol, garden and landscape expert and the founder of Garden Centre Shopping, for his thoughts.

‘The umbrella form lets flower-laden racemes hang down in a full 360-degree display,’ he says.

And it isn’t just the aesthetics that get the points for this idea – it’s actually a healthier way to grow wisteria, too.

‘Most people don't know that the umbrella form creates better air circulation and light penetration,’ Andrew explains. ‘It also allows for easier wisteria pruning and deadheading, which are important to encourage repeat blooms. Plus, wall-trained wisterias can easily get out of control.’

So, not only are wisterias the perfect fit for gardens of all sizes, but they also make maintenance a lot more straightforward.

Plus, they can create a cosy nook if you go large enough.

'They're quite magical!' says Morris Hankinson, founder of Hopes Grove Nurseries. 'They're also very practical, as they can create an area of shade in your garden and, if the structure is big enough, you could even put a bench under it and sit within the clouds of wisteria.'

The only query I had was what becomes of wisteria umbrellas during the colder months, when the plants are out of flower and foliage – but actually, there’s plenty of interest to be had then, too.

‘As Wisteria matures, its stems create beautiful characterful winter structure,’ Sheila explains. ‘The umbrella supports can also be a feature in themselves.’

And for the majority of the year, you’ll enjoy an array of colours that change with the seasons.

‘Wisteria are great for year-round interest, with the emerging buds and foliage in spring leading to beautifully scented flowers in late spring and early summer, and then a great buttery autumn foliage,’ Sheila says. ‘Some species of Wisteria can also repeat-flower, giving a second flush later in the year after the initial flowering in summer.’

Where to buy wisteria umbrellas

Wisteria umbrellas could be the answer to growing the popular plants in a controlled and elegant way, even in smaller gardens. Will you be investing in the structure this year?