Olga, Lori, Patricia, Ann, Bboy, Jeri, Ron, Scardan, Jon, Catsrose, Dave, Geo and Mad Gallica (and anyone I missed): Thanks for your kind help and the suggestions! The purpose of the hedge is to help frame my small front yard. I have yews out there right now (so it's not that interesting anyway year-round) with deutzia and salvia in front of them. I live in an urban city with lots of foot traffic. The yard is bounded by 2 long driveways -- mine and my neighbors, and there's a walkway leading from the sidewalk to my front door, and a path from the driveway to my front door. The drives are narrow and "Keep out" hedging here would be very unneighborly for getting in/out of the car. I was hoping for a little more privacy so I could maybe put a bench in the yard. But not so much privacy that someone would feel free to take a seat or could try to break in undeterred. We spend most of summer out back, so it would be nice if it's fairly easy to maintain in the summer and pretty in the spring. That's why I thought of gallicas and other OGRs. That's the truth, and the justification I'm giving my husband. The real, real underlying reason for the hedge, though, is that I'm running out of room for roses and I want to help the Vintage cause, too, so if/when I ever get more room in actual beds, I'll still have a few places to go for roses. If I have to, I'll hedge them along the very back of the back yard, too. Thanks for the Rugosa suggestions -- the thorny security would be appreciated back there. The ideal height would be about 4-6 feet. Shorter in front, taller on the sides. I already have Alain Blanchard and Belle de Crecy and suckers and a grafted Tuscany Superb. I have grafted Belle sans Flaterie and Belle Sultan on reserve from Pickering (and though I could switch them over, I'd hate to hurt one nursery to help another). I'll definitely check out Ipsalante, Glorie de France, Beau Narcisse, Jenny Duval, Rosa Mundi and the Apothecary rose and Belle Herminie at Vintage. Since a couple of you mention Charles de Mills as a bully, he will not be welcome. Maybe two or three of the others, though, would mix very well. That Jacques Cartier hedge sounds glorious... maybe I could try that for the space between the sidewalk and the street for more constant color that people will more immediately see. Thanks also for gorgeous picture and the inspiration and the idea about the clematis! Mildew really isn't a problem, except with Leda (who wouldn't be in there) and Belle de Crecy. But I also don't spray for it. Has anyone found a way to control the suckering? Does lining the hole with landscape fabric work? Thanks again

You might try searching and/or posting in kitchens as well. I've seen a few pictures of glass penny rounds there. Someone may have run across something like this. It looks quite lovely.

Hi Bob, we did go by there yesterday. Did you see the stamped/ stained coating they do as well? It looks really nice, but EVERYONE including the people that work there say it is HOT on the feet! One lady said she finds herself apologizing to guests at her own pool about it all the time, LOL! We eliminated that as an option based on the hot-foot problem. They said that Master Deck replaced Kool Deck and that it is about as forgiving on the feet as anything you can get (as long as you don't go too dark on the color). Apparently Kool Deck had some kind of matrix that was applied to the concrete, then the coating went over that. They were having delamination problems with it in the DFW area, so quit using it and replaced it with Master Deck. Master Deck looks the same as Kool Deck, but the coating goes directly on the concrete (no matrix). They say they've had good longevity from it. The patio at the showroom has been in 3 years and was in perfect shape. If you're wondering about their deck prices: Washed aggregate- 7.25 s/f Master Deck- 9.75 s/f Patterned & stained concrete- 12.50 s/f We like how the Master Deck looks and we also like that it contrasts well with the existing washed aggregate patio. We're just trying to decide if we like it 875 bucks worth, haha! That's the cost difference on the 350 s/f worth of decking we have. By the way, if you end up going with Hobert tell them we sent you and we'll get a referral fee which we'll be happy to split with you :-) I think it's 300 bucks.

I work for a builder so I have seen it many many times. I am with you about the texture, it looks too much like a wall for my taste. However, most of our customers that have it done have it stamped and stained with two different colors. The stamped spray deck we typically do looks more like rock. As far as chipping goes, we don't really have an issure with it except for springtime hail. Customers will call us over the tiniest imperfections about decks, but they paid good money for it so it's expected to last. I've noticed hail that is baseball size or larger will chip it. Here is a link that might be useful: stamped and stained spray deck pics