| I have a very old wisteria growing on (and in) a garage. It is magnificent both in flower and in leaf. I have "trained" it to branch out from the garage to provide shade for ferns and palms. When in flower, the branches are weighed down considerably and it is necessary to duck as one comes out the back door. Having seen what a mature wisteria can do, I would advise against using a wooden stake. They can be incredibly strong and robust plants and I think I would be going for something more sturdier. There is a standard wisteria down the street from me which is growing on a metal support - looks like a length of 2" galvanised water pipe with a wheel contraption of about 1 metre diameter welded to the top. The top of the plant is pruned back to about 60cm of growth above the wheel each winter, and what is left is quite thick and sturdy growth and would be quite heavy. During flowering it looks like a mauve umbrella with long fringes of flowers hanging down - beautiful!! I'm not to sure either about winding the stem around. I made the mistake of weaving some stems through lattice. Apart from ripping the lattice apart, some of the stems have grown completely around the lattice, which I would imagine would weaken the stems and create entry points for fungus, etc. Wisteria is such a beautiful plant and the perfume...!! But it is mind boggling to see what this delicate looking young plant can grow into. Our ultimate plan is to remove the garage from under the plant and replace it with a pergola - with steel trusses. | 
