I have had my "Amethyst Falls" for two years now. Mine is a rampant grower, (capable of covering an arbor in a season, but mine is in part sun, so it stretches a bit. It has been a wonderful bloomer. Though the rebloom has not been spectacular, if it was in full sun it might prove better for the flowering. I have not noticed any scent, pleasent or otherwise associated with this plant. I enjoy the spring show so much I have the vine in a prominent position right beside my front door. It is such a nice plant I don't even mind having the naked woody stems showing all winter. I have mine planted in the ground now, but will be digging it up so I can bring with me when I move, (otherwise it may cover surrounding trees if not pruned). ---Keith

@ostrich do you take it down and cover it for the winter? from what I read, our hard winters kill the buds so we need to take extra care to protect it. Here is what Terry suggested for our harsh climate: "Twros(z 4 Ab. Can.) Hi beal_17 ... the wisteria had gotten very large and stretched out a total of 45 ft in two directions. In the autumn of 2014, after taking the vine down for the winter and applying protection, the darn mice had gotten to it and chewed it up badly and the next spring I needed to cut it back severely. Then, as the summer progressed, I decided that I hadn't liked the way the thing was looking and thought best to cut it right off at the base in hopes it would resprout ... though, it hadn't liked me doing so and the remaining stump had rotted down to the roots. Last summer, I started anew with a large on sale plant from CT. Again, I'll stress that this vine is not hardy for the Canadian prairies, or at least I've never seen photos or heard word of anyone having it eat up and consume the side of their home. This past winter was very mild and I'm sure many vines had wintered very well with no protection whatsoever, though a normal winter will more than likely knock them right back down. What I had learnt was to keep the thing growing as late in the autumn as possible by protecting it from severe frost, planting next to a building is a good idea. When taking it down in preparation of winter, snip off all remaining foliage that has not yet fallen along with green unhardened wood. I've had good success when covering the vine with about 3 or 4 inches of dry peat moss and placing a sheet of plastic upon the area to help keep it dry. Vines are very flexible until reaching a sizable thickness and can be wrapped up around themselves, though do not force them otherwise they might snap ... and be sure the darn mice have been dealt with! :)"

Thank you Gardengal, that explains what I've been reading about training the vine into a tree. =) I hadn't realized they are all grafted, though I did know seedlings can take many, many years to flower. Would you recommend against either buying one or attempting to train one, then? Many accounts I have read have stated they are seemingly not all that difficult to control for a vigilant gardener. And there aren't that many places in our yard it could sprout that I wouldn't notice and nip. Neighbors' yards are pretty blocked off by physical barriers, though if the roots managed to travel that far then get under them I suppose it would be possible. My two big concerns asking about root system are these: a) I live in an area with a lot of steep hills and granite rock under soil that's not all that deep. The granite is exposed on a lot of the hills and most homes are on steep slopes, as is ours. Anything that requires a deep root system is probably not going to thrive in my yard. b) The area I am thinking of planting has utility pipes in the vicinity, a few feet away. I want to make sure I don't get anything that would damage them. I have checked with town utilities and shallow rooting plants are fine in this area, we have Weigela, Inkberry and Hydrangea even closer and in one case directly over them at the moment, and an Arborvitae about 4 feet away. Would a Wisteria Tree be an inappropriate plant for this area?

I have an unusual problem this year that has puzzled me. I grow from seed, and my stock (Matthiola), larkspur, and others will not grow. They are in a bed that has very good amended soil, gets sun, and have been watered consistently. They are all still 2" high. Stock has been in the ground over a month. Even my seedlings in pots are slow, but they are growing more than the ones in that bed. We did have very cool weather, and my microclimate at my house is cool. You can literally feel the temperature drop a few degrees driving down our driveway. I have been wondering if it was low soil temp, or if Asian jumping worms actually did eat every bit of organic matter in the soil and the plants have nothing. But, even basic potting soil has practically no nutrients (or so I thought), so shouldn't they show some growth? The poppy seeds in that bed are growing (as are some weeds). The only seeds that are really growing are echinacea (they hardly count since they seem to grow regardless), 4:00s, salvia, Sweet Wm Catchly, and Clarkia (and others that aren't coming to mind right now). I am just confused. The established perennials in that bed look fantastic, but it's possible they are growing from stored up nutrients in their roots. Can you tell how much i've been trying to figure this out? Makes no sense to me.