My wisteria supplies abundant shade for my porch in the summer, which is a godsend, since my porch has a southern exposure.  My white wicker rockers would be useless without the lovely shade it provides.  Also, the screen of grape clusters of purple flowers in the spring are breath-taking!

Taming this vigorous vine is no easy task, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

In the summer, I continuously trim new vines as they grow out of place.

In mid-winter, I trim it down to the appropriate size for my porch.  I’m careful to  leave enough pencil-size branches, with 2 to 3 buds from a branching point, to ensure I will have an abundance of blooms in the spring.