Thanks Ann. I found a company who has so many wisteria, I can't wait to read up on them and see which one I will get. the company with the largest inventory so far is bloom river. they have about 15 different types. None are standards, but I can train one into a standard. Beerhog - I was wondering if that is why it is grafted, to keep it from suckering and turning into a massive vine. But that was not part of the suppliers response, so I was confused about that.

Thyme...those are beautiful. But the thought if their having a pungent odor will keep me from planting a more manageable wisteria. We have decided to go with tree form...only because my husband said...if I have patience with bonsai...surely I can manage a wisteria tree. My bonsai wisteria is no trouble at all...and it's basically miniature form. I do though...see quite a handful if I go with the vine tree form that is meant to climb something. For it was twisted and needs support to stand upright. Which I had contemplated our gazebo. Reading the link that was attached I did see where the tree was mentioned to be more manageable by a few posters. When it is upright and not allowed to climb over something. For a second...I thought I had a winner...with zone 5 and a manageable vine. Until I read it is quite unpleasant to smell. And it is to close to outdoor living spaces. I appreciate the heads up though on that.

All of the plants listed will invoke a, Asian "feel" in your landscape. But none of the plants listed are drought-tolerant (with the possible exception of the asparagus) and I don't think any of them are low-maintenance. Here's some other idea that will meet your needss: Small to Medium Trees -- Acacia pendula WEEPING MYALL Alnus japonica JAPANESE ALDER Cedrus deodara 'Descanzo Dwarf' DWARF DEODAR CEDAR Celtis australis EUROPEAN HACKBERRY Cercidiphyllum japonicum Pendulum WEEPING KATSURA TREE Cercis siliquastrum JUDAS TREE Cupressus funebris MOURNING CYPRESS, JAPANESE WEEPING CYPRESS Diospyros kaki 'Izu' SEMI-DWARF JAPANESE PERSIMMON Juniperus scopulorum ÂTollesonÂs Blue Weeping WEEPING JUNIPER Pinus attenuata KNOBCONE PINE Pinus cembroides MEXICAN STONE PINE Pinus densiflora ÂPendula WEEPING JAPANESE RED PINE Pinus parviflora 'Glauca' (pruned) BLUE JAPANESE WHITE PINE Pinus thunbergii JAPANESE BLACK PINE Pittosporum phillyraeoides WILLOW PITTOSPORUM Prunus mume 'Bonita' BONITA JAPANESE APRICOT Prunus mume 'Dawn' DAWN JAPANESE APRICOT Prunus mume 'Matsubara Red' M.R. JAPANESE APRICOT Prunus mume 'Peggy Clarke' P.C. JAPANESE APRICOT Prunus mume 'Rosemary Clarke' R.C. JAPANESE APRICOT Prunus mume 'W.B. Clarke' WEEPING DOUBLE PINK JAP. APRICOT Quercus myrsinifolia JAPANESE EVERGREEN OAK Quercus phillyraeoides UBAME OAK Wisteria floribunda 'Longissima Alba' (standard)TREE WISTERIA Wisteria 'Rosea Beni Fuji' (standard) TREE WISTERIA Wisteria sinensis 'Cooke's Special' (standard) TREE WISTERIA Wisteria venusta 'Alba' (standard) TREE WISTERIA Ziziphus jujuba 'So' JUJUBE Shrubs -- Aucuba japonica JAPANESE AUCUBA Azara microphylla SMALL-LEAF AZARA Cedrus deodara 'Cream Puff' CREAM PUFF DOEADAR CEDAR Chaenomeles speciosa 'Toyo Nishiki' T.N. FLOWERING QUINCE Corokia cotoneaster 'Little Prince' SMALL-LEAFED COROKIA Cotinus coggygria ÂGolden Spirit GOLDEN SMOKE TREE Cotinus coggygria ÂPurple RobeÂ, ÂRoyal PurpleÂ, ÂVelvet Cloak PURPLE SMOKE TREE Danae racemosa POETÂS LAUREL Fatsia japonica JAPANESE ARALIA Hardenbergia violacea ÂBushy Blue' BUSHY WINTER WISTERIA Hardenbergia violacea ÂMini Ha-Ha BUSHY WINTER WISTERIA Mahonia pinnata ÂKen Hartman KEN HARTMAN BARBERRY Melianthus major HONEY BUSH Osmanthus fragrans SWEET OLIVE Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Rotundifolius' ROUNDLEAF HOLLY OSMANTHUS Pinus densiflora 'Alice Verkade' DWARF JAPANESE RED PINE Pinus densiflora ÂTanayosho Compacta' COMPACT J. R. PINE Pinus koraiensis 'Winton' SPREADING BLUE KOREAN PINE Pinus thunbergii ÂThunderhead THUNDERHEAD JAPANESE BLACK PINE Pittosporum tobira 'Shima' SHIMA MOCK ORANGE Pittosporum tenuifolium ÂMarjorie ChannonÂ, ÂSilver Sheen KOHUHU Pittosporum tobira variegata, ÂCrème de Menthe VARIEGATED TOBIRA Prunus ÂHally Jolivette H. J. FLOWERING CHERRY Punica granatum 'Nochi Shibori', 'Tanyosho' DWARF FLOWERING POMEGRANATE Spiraea cantoniensis ÂFlore-Pleno DOUBLE BRIDAL WREATH Vaccinium ovatum EVERGREEN HUCKLEBERRY Vitex agnus-castus 'Silver Spire' VARIEGATED CHASTE TREE Perennials -- Agapanthus ÂTinker Bell TINKER BELL AGAPANTHUS Aristea ecklonii BLUE STARS Aspidistra elatior CAST IRON PLANT Dianella intermedia NEW ZEALAND BLUE-BERRY Dianella tasmanica (esp. ÂVariegataÂ) FLAX LILY Helleborus argutifolius (esp. ÂJanet StarnesÂ, ÂPacific FrostÂ) CORSICAN HELLEBORE Helleborus lividus CORSICAN HELLEBORE Helleborus x stearnii HYBRID HELLEBORE Hemerocallis (especially smaller varieties) DAYLILIES Heuchera CORAL BELLS Iris Pacific Coast Hybrids PCH IRIS Rohdea japonica CHINESE SACRED LILY Sisyrinchium striatum SATIN FLOWER Zantedeschia aethiopica, ÂApple Court BabeÂ, ÂChildsianaÂ, ÂCrowboroughÂ, ÂLittle GemÂ, ÂWhite Gnome DWARF CALLA-LILY Grasses and Grasslike Plants -- Carex albula BLONDE SEDGE Carex atrata BLACK ALPINE SEDGE Carex dissita BUSH SEDGE Carex flacca (C. glauca) BLUE SEDGE Hakonechloa macra ÂAureola JAPANESE FOREST GRASS Miscanthus transmorrisonensis TAIWAN EVERGREN MISCANTHUS Muhlenbergia dumosa BAMBOO MUHLY Vines -- Ampelopsis brevipedunculata PORCELAIN BERRY Asparagus asparagoides FLORISTS SMILAX Clematis x cartmanii ÂAvalanche AVALANCHE EVERGREEN CLEMATIS Parthenocissus henryana SILVERVEIN CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia ÂStar Showers VARIEGATED VIRGINIA CREEPER Rosa banksiae lutea LADY BANKÂS ROSE Semele androgyna CLIMBING BUTCHERÂS BROOM Wisteria floribunda JAPANESE WISTERIA Shrubby Ground Covers -- Cedrus deodara 'Prostrate Beauty' CREEPING DEODAR CEDAR Juniperus conferta SHORE JUNIPER Juniperus horizontalis ÂWiltonii WILTON JUNIPER Juniperus procumbens ÂGreen Mound JAPANESE GARDEN JUNIPER Juniperus sabina ÂCalgary Carpet CALGARY CARPET JUNIPER Mahonia repens CREEPING BARBERRY Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Tricolor' TRICOLOR STAR JASMINE Ground Covers -- Sedum makinoi ÂOgon GOLDEN JAPANESE SEDUM Sedum makinoi ÂVariegatum VARIEGATED JAPANESE SEDUM Bulbs -- Gladiolus tristis MARSH AFRIKANER Ipheion uniflorum STARFLOWER Lycoris radiata JAPANESE SPIDER LILY Narcissus jonquilla 'Kinglet', 'Suzy', 'Sweetness', 'Trevithian', 'Vireo' JONQUILS Narcissus tazetta 'Cheerfulness', 'Geranium', 'Matador', 'Martha Washington', 'Silver Chimes', 'Yellow Cheerfulness' TAZETTAS Narcissus triandrus 'Hawera', 'Thalia' TRIANDRUS DAFFODIL Nerine bowdenii GUERNSEY LILY Sternbergia lutea WINTER DAFFODIL Watsonia 'Seashell' SEASHELL WATSONIA As for picking up dead flowers -- if you want flowers, you usually have to pick them up or off when they're dead. Joe

That is a double suet feeder I bought at one of the local Agways - I think it was made by Droll Yankee, but I'm not sure. It's good because you can fill it with oranges and suet or put two suet blocks in at once. It also solves the problem of how to refill a suet feeder when the first block has shriveled down to 1/3 the size, but is still taking up space. With a single feeder you have to either throw the remainder on the ground (which pleases the ground-feeders), or try to cram a new block in with the leftover. With the double feeder you can just add a new block to the top and it slides down as it gets whittled away. One of my suet feeders is invisible from indoors now that the rose leaves have filled out. In the winter I could see birds through the canes. The suet feeder is hanging from the top of the arch. I'm hoping the little birds like downies and wrens can lurk in there and wait for the grackles (and Blue Jays) to leave. Claire