Jeanne, O how bittersweet! I'm sure it was hard to finally do away with that well established tree. (Have you ever read the childrens story "The Giving Tree"?) ...I love the sliced tree trunk for stepping slices! You know once I saw a table top made with tree slices and it looked all so wonderful! ..I LOVE the pergola! It's absolutely perfect there in that angle! Seriously, you should send your story and photos to Birds and Blooms magazine. It looks like something they would put in it! With all the other bushes, trees, plants that you have planted it will be even more gorgeous in the spring. I'm sure that goldfinch was asking himself, " I know there WAS a tree here. Now, where did it go? Well, this feeder and this other thing here seem really nice too. Was I talking about something else? MMMMmm! Seed is so good when it's cold! " Planting bushes close to the feeder will give thos ebirds cover from the hawks and such....Can;t wait too fro your spring photos! Thanks so much for sharing! Love, Jules

Not sure whether this is a pathway or a porch arbor, but that is something you need to consider. Some of the vines grow so much that it is a constant battle to keep them off the roof. Jasmine is fragrant when it blooms, but only one month a year. Blue sky vine is beautiful, but has no scent, and sometimes waits until just before frost to bloom (although my friends and neighbors' bloom in the summer). Don't plant either of these where they can get near the roof. Not sure about trumpet vine, I think the yellow one is the dreaded cat's claw, which apparently is a tarted up kudzu....maybe it is different from the orange one. Cape honeysuckle blooms in the fall and winter if it is mild, not like this year. Wisteria is beautiful and fragrant, but keep it away from your house (I have mine about 12 feet away with a sidewalk in between). It can mess with your foundation. I haven't had much luck with clematis since moving south. Passionflowers are pretty and some people say they grow like weeds (not for me). The yellow mandevilla with the shiny leaves (not sure what its real name is) is really vigorous and blooms all season long and hummingbirds love it. It will die back, but if you cut it back and mulch it well it will come back in spring. Of course, you can put climbing roses like Lady Banks (but only blooms once a year) or a repeat blooming climber. I haven't grown crossvine or snail vine, but that might be a good choice. Annual vines are great to plant until your perennial vines do some growing (the first year it sleeps, the second it creeps, the third year it leaps). Cypress vine (little red flowers and lacy foliage) blooms late summer, attracts hummingbirds, hyacinth beans (also hummingbird attractor) bloom late summer and have sweet pea like pink flowers followed by purple pods. Morning glory and moonflowers are beautiful. When mixing the vines, if it would look right on your arbor, you could put a 2 foot lattice trellis about halfway down on the long side(s) and grow two matching vines there, maybe the jasmine which is nice and green all the time, then put your colorful vines at the corners. Good luck when we can finally get out in the yard again! This winter is separating the men plants from the boys!

Sorry to hijack. Livvyandbella! The stairs were TREACHEROUS. Like, lean forward and climb up like a ladder LOL. And rickety. When GC took them apart he couldn't believe they hadn't collapsed yet. The new ones are code and quite the carpentry masterpiece. :-) (still awaiting handrail stain and finial - GC made the stair treads to match the quartersawn oak floor, they're purdy. Unforts we couldn't rectify the door swing, but we're thrilled to have a 1/2 bath downstairs.) We stressed majorly over gutting it. But it was in such disrepair (had been a rental for 15 years) that there wasn't much to save. Plus all systems needed replacing, we added AC...sort of got caught up in the snowball effect LOL. We did replicate the moldings that were in the living room and carried them thru the downstairs. They were really the only thing that was worth saving, and we tried, but several split when we tried removing them. (still no art or decoration...) And added wainscoting in the DR to give a period feel Didn't save the butler's pantry, it wasn't original and looked better in pics than IRL. ;-) We did sell it to a salvage company, though. Did the floors in quartersawn oak, with a walnut border And redid the original tub and did a period bathroom Only have 1 br pic, the other is a disaster zone - but you can kinda see the moldings. People who come in can't believe everything in the house is new (except the window sashes, awaiting restoration.) In our opinion, the house actually has more character now b/c of the addition of things that were lacking before - like the wainscoting, the bathroom elements, or moldings upstairs. (before was just flat board.) Anyway...it's been quite a "job" for the past 8 months - and it's almost over!! (well, the contractor is almost out. I'll be painting for the rest of my life.)

Here are a couple of thoughts - http://www.diamondrental.com/images/weddings/ArchLogArbor.jpg This is NOT decorated for a standard wedding. However, take a look at the shapes and sizes. It is asymetrical, but beautifully balanced. And note the simplicity of color. It's not on the arbor, but next to it. The second thought I have as the link. I know in the picture the wind is contributing. However, even before the gust, there were flowers just on the upper left. And it seems to me that the ferns are 'thinner' on the right. One thing to keep in mind is that the standard bride and groom or full wedding party make up an asymetrical arrangement. The eye is drawn toward the white of a wedding gown much more than that of a dark suit. If you have attendants standing up as well, the bride's side is likely much more eye catching than the groom's. Because of this, I'd give the groom's side the greater 'oomph' if one side seems more visually weighted than the other. Here is a link that might be useful: