By Mowerman
East Sussex coast,
United Kingdom 
Wisteria 'weed'.
There used to be a fairground game where, from any one of about a dozen holes, a wooden rat would pop up randomly and you had to hit it with a mallet quickly before it disappeared back down the hole. I have the horticultural version of this game in my front garden!
Four years ago we had a mini digger level our front garden and whilst there removed an old, overgrown, unwanted Wisteria taking out a huge rootball – 2ft plus deep. Every summer since we have wisteria shoots appearing everywhere and up to 15ft from the original plant. They’re too deep to dig out and pulling up leaves the snapped stem and roots in the ground from where it reappears a few weeks later. The only solution has been to wait till the shoot has plenty of leaves and then spray with Roundup.
However before that shoot has died off another will appear close by and so the process starts all over again! About half a dozen shoots appear every summer; clearly this plant can regrow even from the severed roots remaining in the ground.
30 Apr, 2019
Answers
Good grief! I did not know that Wisteria could become a weed!
2 May, 2019
I have a constant battle with my wisteria! It sends tendrils out and if I don’t keep on top of it they travel for yards, especially at ground level. One was planted about 40 years ago in the corner near the house. I now have two large plants, about 12 feet apart (I separated them years ago) and dread the annual pruning, as well as the constant cutting back! Having said that, as long as I keep an eye on them, they are still welcome!
2 May, 2019
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the game was called splat the rat I used to love it. that is a problem with the wisteria and I suppose all you can keep doing is digging out, but try exposing some root and paint with SBK brush and scrub killer. that is meant to kill the roots and usually does.
1 May, 2019