Some years ago, my family thought I had taken leave of my senses when I started constructing a pergola over our patio. It took me several agonising weeks with various off cuts of timber and I created a quagmire. But now, the pergola is an outdoor room and a great way of enjoying the long summer evenings. The vine is doing very well and creates a natural shade for the table underneath, the Passion flower bloomedfor ages and I'm thinking of training a Chaenomeles up the shadier side this year. The annoying thing is that pergolas now come in brilliant kits with decking beneath. Have a look, it will be a feature you cherish.