THX...That sounds like good advice...my neighbor had said he had a suckling come up in his garden about 4 feet from my brick wall...he said he pulled it out but could not get all the root and it looked like it was growing in my direction...actually 2 plants had come up and the smaller one I just yanked out and stuck in a pot....it took a while but it is growing fast now...it's a third of the sz of the bigger one...but you are right...it most likely is from the root stock which would not be desirable...I just started to read-up on wisterias and had no idea they were grafted as they are...so this is a bit disappointing cuz it has been great having something grow so fast and high in the garden...my dad had a wisteria tree in his yard that I loved and I was looking forward to having one like his....looks like I will have to spend the money to get a good one...just out of curiosity I might let it grow another summer...will let you know what it does...I am quite sure it is wisteria...the smaller one I potted is behaving much more like a vine and looks like pictures I see online...I love volunteer plants...this one is amazing with the growth it has shown...it could be a good experimental project for me...with all the vigor it has I could try to sculpt it and make it grow into an interesting form...

so happy to find this thread on wild sea! we are close to choosing this slab for our countertops. the length between the blue tape is what were thinking for our longest span (103") with the sink cut out where the inner blue tape is. then we have 2 smaller sections measuring 34x25 and 45x34. we are thinking to have the 2 smaller ones cut with as much of the bottom green as possible running horizontal, as it feels like mountains rising out of the green ocean. the 45-34 will be a small eating peninsula and the smaller for a small area next to the stove. any input/ideas? thanks!!

First I want to apologize for my carelessness about the un-intended link. It seems that Houzz does this automatically when un-knowingly I type in certain combinations of letters; I can't see any editing option on the post so I can't take it out now,but I will try to be more careful in the future. Secondly I'm really glad I posted this on THIS forum as well as on "Vines" because the responses you are all giving me is what I was really hoping for...that is, I was hoping to "discuss" the question with fellow gardeners. So thank you all so much!!! I love wisteria, but am very confused. Back when I put in my first wisteria plant (Chinese one, Prolific), I read that it was "suitable for xeriscaping",extremely vigourous and even invasive, etc, etc. So I planted it on a hill with shallow, rocky soil,that was covered with broom, wild clematis and blackberries, thinking that the wisteria would be macho enough to compete. Not so! Eight years later, that plant is still only about 7-8 feet tall. Last year it almost lost all of it's leaves; I saved it by cutting away all the invading weeds, mulching, and watering. It's a bit better this year, though didn't flower much of course, due to the stress,but still seems to be struggling. This one has been very beautiful in the past,but I'm not considering moving this one, since I have other "Prolifics" elsewhere,planted in deeper soil, which are thriving (though one refuses to bloom so far...) Now, this Macrobotrys is a different story. I only have the one plant. It has produced a few flowers, so I know for sure it's not a "mule". These are 2 good reasons for trying to save it actively. The cons: mainly,I've got to face up to my physical limitations : digging it up would be a LOT of work. Also, it's never yet done anything to make me fall in love with it,though this may well be due to the bad conditions. I guess I think/thought that moving it to deeper soil would be the surest way to "save it actively",since that seems to be the most effective course to take with roses, but Cassandra's comment gives me something to consider (that little dryad is SO beautiful, btw!!!) I so long to obtain the effect that Anne is talking about,but haven't done so yet, not even with the better-placed wisteria...Cath, your post sounds very sensible,but why do you suggest layering this older plant instead of just buying a new one? Would a layerd baby from this one be a guarenteed "non-mule", perhaps? or is it just for economic reasons?

Interesting issue.... Based on the clockwise twining seen in your pictures, this appears to be a Japanese wisteria. Is is a named variety/grafted plant? Does it produce a lot of root suckers and, if so, do you allow them to remain and climb on the structure? You said in your original post that the vine is doing well - is any part of it visibly dead - i.e. no leaf or flower growth? Does the vine lose its leaves at some point in the year in your climate? (My two wisterias are just losing their leaves for the winter now....) If the vine loses its leaves at some point in your growing season, that's a good time to give it a close inspection. Since the support structure is also wood, it may well have rot too, so check it carefully (What kind of wood is the support structure?) Wisterias are pretty tough plants that can survive a lot of damage. If it is still producing healthy new growth from the stems that have split, I wouldn't worry too much about the vine. If there are areas where the vine is dead (i.e. no leaf or flower growth) I'd prune out the dead section and let nearby healthy growth fill the blank space. If there are suckers from above a graft union or if you normally let root sucker grow and they flower the same as the rest of the vine, you could use them to help fill in any dead sections too. If there is a nearby botanical garden or a commercial grower of the vines, you could ask them for further help in identifying the source of the problem and what to do. At this point, I wouldn't give up or the vine or assume it will die out. They are very tough plants and it would take a lot of damage to completely kill it! Do you have a picture of it in flower on the structure? If so, I'd love to see it....