I planted "Aunt Dee' in summer '04 so I can't attest to it's ability to bloom in mpls. It died back by about half the winter of 04-05. Last summer it grew like crazy (about 10ft) so definitely have an idea of what kind of support system you are going to have for it. I have 25 feet of lattice fence for it to cover. I would conisder where it is planted a somewhat sheltered spot from the wind, though no heat from structures. So I will see how it does after this winter in terms of die back and decide if I am going to stick with it. In the meantime it's covering my fence quickly and the foliage looks nice. Last year I saw a "Blue Moon" wisteria that is supposed to be hardier. Hopefully someone else will have more info.

Blue Moon wisteria is very hardy and has been a reliable bloomer for approximately the past six years in our yard, and in most summers repeats its bloom 2 to 3 times. It is not in a particularly protected location.

I have the asian wisteria and it's hardy. It is planted near the house on the south side. Mine bloomed the first year, and that was a bit on the lucky side, I think. In fact, one year it bloomed FOUR times for me! Some individual plants don't bloom for several years, though there's things one can do to encourage bloom, such as root pruning. It often sends up shoots from the base in the spring; if you're anywhere near the western 'burbs, you're welcome to try and root some cuttings.

Has anyone trained Wisteria into standard form? i have a baby Aunt Dee that I planted last autumn... I'm hoping to treain it into a weeping tree for the patio. any thought or suggestions?