Fast growing it certainly is, it's alternative name is 'mile a minute' and thats a good discription!
Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, it usually gets out of control and a lot of people rue the day they planted it.
It's okay if you have something big and ugly you want to cover like a water tower but other than that I would'nt touch it with a barge pole!
It's apparently known to hibridise with an invaisive weed known as Japanese knot weed.
Don't entertain this monster triffid even a bit the size of your little finger nail will take and grow. The plant should be banned I have been trying to get rid of it for the last 35 years using every type of killer you can mention but to no avail. The only way to beat it is not to have it anywhere near your land!