Wisteria seed pods are poisonous to horses [and I assume other animals] so mine are planted away from my horse pastures. Here is photo of my bush last spring - it is just about to start opening blooms. The fragrance is divine - it is, to me, what heaven would smell like. I love to work in my front yard rose bed while it is in bloom - intoxicating! I even bought a pop up shelter to cover it in case of a late freeze - which happened 2 years ago. It had just started blooming, here came the freeze and the blooms were toast. I was so mad I vowed this wouldn't happen again. This bush I now have looks like one I had in my yard when I was growing up and loved. I assume because my yard is mowed every other week that any sprouts that come up are mowed down. I am getting ready to plant another one that I have babied for 2 years in a pot to make sure that it would bloom white like the tag said - it is finally getting ready to bloom and is, indeed, white. These are hard to find and have a different fragrance from the lavender, but its strong and rich scent. I trim mine back sharply every year and it doesn't get out of bounds nor run wild. But - it is out in the middle of the yard and instead of a climber, makes a large bush - this way, it cant get into trouble. When in full bloom, people pull to the side of the road to look. I agree that they can get out of hand unless properly maintained but where mine is placed, it can be kept under control and rewards me with one of the things I love most about spring - 2 weeks of beauty and fragrance that cannot be duplicated. Judith

HI, Mudlady, I have a chinese wisteria white color , grows fast but takes about 5 to 6 years before blooms , i live in Lafayette , My wisteria start blooming it is worth the waite,

mommyfox how are you and the little ones? I've been distracted lately, saw that you were both doing great haven't heard any updates. I got an amethyst falls at calloways one year. Thought it would be a no fuss plant and put it in a difficult area. The drought combined with my neglect killed it on year 2. I bought it in bloom and was enchanted. It's tulip time here. How did your bulbs turn out?

Here in PA, Am. Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) gets few pests. So far as messy, you must mean the spent flowers? The vine that wraps around spindles won't break them, but the eventual weight might take them out of place. What do I think about mine? It is a nice vine that sprawls over a Buddleia. Unlike the Asian varieties, the American vine does not have underground stolons that pop up in the next town over. The American ones make long low vines that root if left to their own agenda, but cutting them off to prevent a mess on the ground beats digging to China to stop new plants. Any vine traipsed over a railing will eventually weigh down the railing. Unless you plant a small annual vine (Morning Glory, etc.), this will always be a concern. Other nice vines here include Aristolochia durior (=A. macrophylla). This is one of my favorites. Native, no underground stolons to worry about, almost no pest problems. The one notable leaf muncher is the Pipe Vine Butterfly. The vine grows all summer, unlike many that quit in July. This trait allows it to replace any leaves eaten by the Pipe Vine Butterfly. Flowers are interesting but insignificant, the seed pods are a big, 8-sided elongated bolus. All in all, a nice vine. Not for formal places, not for people who don't want a leafy tangle that hosts alien looking caterpillars.