I bought a very nice concrete bench a few years ago. There is a man near here who make all types of concrete statuary, fountains, benches, etc. This year we built a new pergula and I plan to move the bench under it and do a mosaic top. I hav alread begun collecting my tesserae. This is a stand alone pergula quite some distance from the house. I have been thinking about doing some mosaic work on the wood frame? Does anyone know if it would within stand temperatures below freezing? We don't get a lot of really cold weather but it does dip into the teens or 20s each year. I plan to visit the "House of Shards" the first weekend in April, perhaps I will get a chance to discuss this with that wonderful artist.

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.

Fast growing Clematis in my zone 5 garden have been mainly viticellas. These are group 3 (refers to pruning type in clem-speak) clems and can be cut down to the ground in early spring, since they bloom on new growth. Most of them are not the large flowered ones offered so often in our local nurseries. IMO the smaller flowered ones often fit in the best in perennial gardens. Here are some group 3s that have grown very quickly for me: Betty Corning - (viticella) pale blue-lavender bell shaped blooms. This one blooms almost continuously for me. 12 foot Madame Julia Corevon - (viticella) wine red flowers, great rebloomer, not quite as tall as BC 6-8 ft Etoile Violette - (viticella) deep blue purple flowers, heavy bloomer, great with pale pinks 8-12 ft starts later that the first two then blooms for about 6 weeks for me. Polish Spirit - (usu. listed as viticella) deep purple with hint of red, very vigorous grower, in zone 5 would probably not outgrow an arbor, but might need mid-summer trimming. I use mine along a fence, up the gutter and wall, and across Endless Summer Hydrangea planted in the corner formed by the fence and house wall. Duchess of Albany - a texensis (despite the name it is very hardy here) - pink with red bar, quite a nice saturated color in my full sun conditions, flowers are small upright and tulip shaped, great grower & blooms for at least a month, also some rebloom August/Sept. Blue Angel (Blekitny Aniol) (viticella) - pale blue fading to white in center 4 inch flowers, large flowered for a vit, with a fairly heavy substance. 10-12 foot - planted next to the Duchess for a smashing combo. Sweet Autumn (sometimes listed as paniculata) extremely vigorous grower, masses of half inch creamy white flowers in fall (Sept-Oct) 20 foot - can definitely make a wall if you have a structure for it. I grow 2 of them to make a 40 plus foot privacy fence in an area too small for shrubs (along a concrete walkway and patio area).

I have seen custom floor jobs that used materials other than those made exclusively for use as flooring. For example, 4 foot by 4 foot slabs of tempered Masonite colored to look like stained concrete...and then given several coats of commercial waterborne polyurethane...authentic-looking and a durable product. I did one as a stage floor where I simply finished the Masonite as it was with no coloring done. A similar look can be gotten using slabs of Forbo genuine linoleum in any size and shape format desired. Genuine linoleum is an extruded product, so there is no rotogravure printing method to destroy the illusion. You can do a similar thing with homogenous commercial sheet vinyl. I did a job in New Hampshire that used 16" by 16" Toli commercial vinyl tile that included a custom cut Belgian block border of the same material that was grouted with Laticrete epoxy ceramic tile grout. It just takes a little knowledge of available materials and the experience to know how to make them into a 'value added desired result'. What you want is definitely achievable; you just have to find the flooring artist who will work with you to create the unique floor you want.