Thanks for the response. What I am wondering about is severe cutting back.

For some reason I couldn't find anything online about this .. My husband is of a mind that cutting vines back to the ground makes them come back stronger in the spring. I don't think this necessarily applies to ALL vines.

Needless to say, we have been having some strong debates :) It was fairly expensive, and I don't want to kill it. What are your thoughts?

Thanks again!

I wouldn't cut it back hard/to the ground. There are some herbaceous vines such as some types of clematis that like this treatment (type 3 clematis pruning) but not honeysuckle, as GG48 said. You will be removing leaf buds and the earliest flower buds if you do that. Prune for shaping or removal of damaged growth on woody vines like honeysuckle.

Was this as fragrant as wild honeysuckle? Or is it just pretty to look at?

It was both! Very fragrant, pretty flowers in the summer, and sweet looking little red berried in Fall. I hope it survives the winter! I'll take pictures next year and post them :)

Most of what are considered "wild" honeysuckles are in fact invasive foreign species. Actual US native species tend to have little or no fragrance. Lonicera periclymenum, of which 'Scentsation' is only one cultivar, is an imported species that so far has shown no invasive habits. It is also a very floriferous and extremely fragrant species, what I consider the best of the vining types.

btw, you can do a hard prune on this vine if and when it becomes too large or unruly but it is not a practice you should or need to follow with any sort of regularity. And certainly not necessary (or recommended) after only one growing season.