Originally Posted by ohnorowe

WOW, this guy nailed it!
What a great idea, I've seen friends from california do that, we call it an "arbor" here in the states. They used english ivy to plant at the bottom and it creeped up and over it in no time to give it a tropical feel. It is so peacful and serene year round! They lived in a zone 6-7! So, its definetly possible!

If your stuck on a tree....
I just got 4 dwarf Montmorency cherry trees. Each season brings a new and interesting look, I can shape it to carry a canopy if I choose, it only growns to 10-12 feet high, resistant to disease, is considered to be a rapid growing tree (So you can buy it as a 2 year old for a quarter of the cost , and it will be full grown in 2 years), can grow in any type of soil, and the best part is..... The cherries!

oh and not to mention. We planted ours about 8 foot from our foundation! Its just fine.. Pluse we have an oak tree about 20 foot from out foundation and its over 60 foot tall. No problems there either!