I grow Akebia quinata on the back wall of my house - I planted it about 18 months ago and it has grown reasonable rapidly to fill a blank space about 8ft x 8ft. During this summer the growth seems to have slowed - probably due to the drought - it did not get much water and is in fairly poor soil. I personally don't think that it is overly rampageous in the right place (but my husband refers to it as the strangler vine!). The other thing to note besides the foliage (which is delicate) is the flower's scent. Apparently one of the common names is Chocolate Vine - unfortunately after repeated sniffing of my flowers at different times of the day I have to conclude that there is either something wrong with my nose or my vine - for me there was no scent. I think that it is worth growing - but chose the right place. Susan George