If the rose is the King of Climbers, and Clematis, the Queen, what High Rank must the wisteria hold? Beautiful, fragrant & vigorous – in May and early June, it is surely unsurpassed for sheer Impact.
The Laurels nursery, near Cranbrook in Kent, specialises in Wisteria (and birch) and featured in The Garden magazine recently (else The English Garden or Gardens Illustrated, or even Gardeners’ World) and while I am woolly-headed about these details, they are The Experts.
http://www.thelaurelsnursery.co.uk/wisteria.htm
While you rootle about their website, I will simply provide a few photographs to get you seriously thinking about planting one of these spicily fragrant climbers.
At Pembroke Lodge, within Richmond Park
On the long, very long, pergola at Nymans
Also at Nymans, overlooking the surrounding woodland
White flowered, at Hatchlands Park
and white flowered, again, billowing from a house on Ham Common
Lavender blue at Hatchlands, also, a National Trust property near Guildford.
For information on pruning, see the RHS website at
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=242
The Teddington Gardener 