Try pm'ing this member:

http://www.growsonyou.com/spritzhenry/profile

She has a couple of forms of this plant in her garden.

Alternatively, click on the letter 'A' at the bottom of the page and scroll forward to Akebia. When you click on it, this brings up members on here that have it. :-)

Brilliant! Thanks Fractal. I tried Googling but didnt really say too much about it, except its banned in NZ!

It is a thug - but a beautiful and sweet-smelling one! I have seen an un-trained one growing over 100 metres of trees and shrubs - great curtains of it! It will also layer well - as i found when i trained one into a large twisted willow - it is a real pain to get all the layers out that are radiating out underneath. But the scent and flowers are really pretty - so if you have a large area that needs covering i would recommend it. Otherwise plant with caution and keep your secateurs handy!

Hallo Tetra - yes, I've got it, plus a new one planted in 2009 - with cream flowers. As Hoya says, once it gets going, it does take up space. My purple flowered one is growing over a Berberis and they co-exist wonderfully. I do have to chop off wandering shoots.

I planted the other one to grow up a trellis and hopefully into my Photinia 'Redstart' tree. It has already taken off, and I do keep training the long tendrils back.

They seem to flower better in sun, but the cream one is in part-shade and seems fine there.

I had one in a pretty shady spot, growing up a wall - it did very well there, and never got out of hand, probably because of the amount of shade. Might have got more flowers in sun, but it flowered pretty well anyway.

Mine is sandwiched between the lawn and a path so there is a certain amount of root control there. Survived last winter here, no trouble and we get pretty low temps even in a normal winter.

Thanks for all the info you provided folks..just what I needed to make an informed decision. Ive decided its not for my gazebo as that is in full sun and the soil is far from poor there, and it might get so rampant it wont let me in (or maybe out!) but I have just the spot for it in the shade with restricted root room. Im really glad because I really like this plant..its different. Now..the red or the cream?....

Look at my two on my page - and just to make it more difficult for you, (haha!) did you realise that there's a white flowered one as well???

yes Spritz, already poached the pictures on your page!!..no not the white..I think it will have to be the cream..more romantic..and it will brighten a dark corner..

I like both, but the cream is quite special. Have you got access to the RHS Plantfinder to check for stockists?

I actually bought mine from the RHS itself when their magazine advertised it. I don't know if they've still got it on their stock-list, though.