Hi matt, Great Jackmanii Clematis you have there!

I've seen the vinyl covered ones also. I spray paint the hardware cloth tan, as I think that blends better against the aged deck wood.

Still the question, is there a problem with the smaller gauge holes I'm using? Will I strangle the clematis?

You want bigger mesh. The smaller mesh won't hurt the Clematis but they can't climb it. I have made the same mistake using chicken wire and nylon netting. Wooden lattice is too wide for them to grip and the others are too small for them to grow in between.

The lattice alone would be better than with that hardware cloth.

ok, that's what I needed to hear buyorsell888.

My guess is chicken wire and nylon netting are too flimsy.

I've tried growing clems. up lattice alone and that does not work.

Fortunately I can quickly remove these panels I made.

Back to Home D. for larger mesh, like I see behind matt's Jackmanii....

I would venture a guess that larger mesh would be better for other vines as well, such as Lonicera, Ipomoea? True?

How about the thin flimsy vine Trachelospermum. I fashioned a long upward U shaped box attached to a post, leaving about 4 inches empty space inside it, for the vine to grow up through, and branch out through the holes of the hardware cloth. Should I redo that as well?

please let me know your thoughts....thanks again

Chicken wire has too small of holes, like your hardware cloth. I use nylon mesh that has 2" holes stapled to 1 x 1s on a cedar fence but it is not ideal. I have clems on lattice alone and I must manually weave them through.

The wire fencing that Matt's Jackmanii is on is ideal. I've seen a garden with a hundred clems using it. Wrapped around 4 x 4 posts, downspouts and tree trunks and stapled to the cedar fence. Wish I had visited before I had DH build all my lattice fences and trellises.

Trachelospermum jasminoides doesn't climb on it's own. You must tie it to the support whatever it is. Easier to get your hands through the bigger wire fencing though. To tie.

The photo of the green fencing doesn't show details very well so I'm posting the link to the silver. I'd buy the green.

Here is a link that might be useful: fencing

Definitely don't go with hardware cloth. The holes are too small and depending on the type of clematis you are planting, the vines could get girdled by the wire as they increase in size. In essence you could end up decapitating the vines depending on how large the vines get and how small the holes are. This would be especially true for the type I and type II clematis which don't get pruned back (except for the first couple of years to get them established). You may or may not have an issue with type III clematis but that would depend on how large and vigorous the type IIIs that you plant end up being.

The green vinyl coated metal fencing is sold in 4 ft tall rolls at most home improvement centers and is what I believe that Matt is showing on his photo. I can't see the image of the silver coated version that BorS posted. It says it can't find the image. I have used the green version on quite a few projects for my clematis to climb and gets camoflagued quite well by the clematis as they grow.

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I've got work to do...replacing what I set up. My local Home D. does have the green vinyl covered that Matt shows... I saw it when I was buying the hardware cloth. I'll debate whether to get that or the silver and spray paint it light brown. I think tan makes it less conspicuous for the bare months of the year.
Well, I'll have plenty of hardware cloth cage material in stock for rabbit protection now ;-/
Nice to hear from you Miguel, thanks!

Funny, the link works fine when I try it. I'm using Firefox.

The link doesn't work for me either.

buyorsell888, the link only works on your computer because you must have the page cached on your hard drive somewhere.

I've tried openinng the link in both IE and Firefox and I get the same "the item your looking for...." error no matter what.

You are welcome Paula.

Well, it is was just a picture of the wire fencing in a roll on the Home Depot website.

Better? I managed to get out between all the rainstorms. I got the plain metal and spray painted it light brown. I think it's more obscure than the vinyl green

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I've added about 10 clems. or so in the past year. Most are on the shrubs. Now I'm set for adding to the decks.

Yes, that will work much better!

Hate to bump an old thread, but I have to say that the idea that clematis doesn't do well on chicken wire is simply not true. I've found little that it does better on, in fact, and have seen it support extremely thick plants up to 12' high.

This entire plant is grown on chicken wire, after it didn't take to the wood trellis, which only goes about half way up the whole clmatis. Plant was finishing its blooming when I took this photo; in full bloom it is spectacular:

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Here is a quick macro shot I just took of some old wood on a different specimen that shows how well it wraps. This process seems to usually take less than two days, and may happen within a day (I just poke any misguided vines through the wire, and the plant does the rest). It would be interesting to document exactly how long it takes.

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Unprofessional....do you cut back the Clematis at all , or just leave it?

Some Clematis "wrap" themselves better than others.

I have removed all the chicken wire and small mesh nylon netting here because the varieties I have, did not wrap themselves on it. Some of it was up for a year before I got it replaced so I had plenty of time to evaluate...

I have been to five local display gardens that have a lot of Clematis including the Rogerson Clematis Collection and they all use the bigger rectangular mesh livestock fencing so that is what I recommend.

I cut back to the ground for at least the first few years, as the difference it makes in developing a thick, full plant is incredible, but I will say that the first picture I posted is not my plant, and I doubt it's ever been cut back. It is my 80 year old aunt's, and I think she said it's about ten years old.

Looking for some advice here. I purchased some plastic chicken wire (hardware cloth) for the sole purpose of supporting clematis. I haven't put it up yet, but have been reading this thread. It is grey which will make it more unobtrusive against the beige/gray siding of the shed it is against. It is a straight grid and the holes between are 1/2 inch. I thought it would be perfect, but reading this thread I wonder if the holes will be large enough for my new Clematis "The President" to successfully climb. I'd appreciate comments from anyone with experience with plastic hardware cloth of this size.

I would use a mesh with larger holes. The plants cling to it well, but it is also easy to do any needed pruning or to remove dead vines. My goal is usually 4”-8” holes, which the plants do fine with, but lets me do maintenance more easily since my hands can fit through the holes. I have seen this type of wire galvanized/gray, wire coated with green or black plastic, and ungalvanized rust coated. The only larger mesh plastic I have seen is perhaps wider diameter pieces than ideal and so a bit more difficult for the clematis to climb, and bright orange since it is snow fencing.

Yes, I was considering snow fence if I could find it in gray or something. So, would the mesh would be in addition to some other more rigid sort of trellis/structure? I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible, yet provide the support needed.

Electrical conduit sunk a foot into the ground works well for a simple frame. They make pieces to join the conduit at the corners, and it can be cut with a hacksaw or you might be able to have it cut to length at the store since I know the big box stores near me will often cut things to length.

The fencing looks like a great idea! Is 4 foot high enough, or should I go higher? What do I tie the fencing to? I assume metal is better than plastic?

If you look at my comment just above yours, one option for support is electrical conduit, available at any big box store, and easy to assemble into rectangles of whatever size and dimensions using the various types of connectors. Folks used to use copper piping, but the price of copper now makes a copper trellis expensive. I have also used iron rod, but that is more difficult to connect unless you are just making a teepee. I connect rod with a wire welder, but you need to have that ability and equipment, while electrical conduit has premade connectors. I prefer metal welded wire fencing since it is easy for the clematis to grab and it lasts almost forever IME.

Thanks! Metal it is. What width of the conduit? And is 4 ft high of mesh fencing enough...or should I go higher?

How high depends on the particular clematis (some have 3’ vines and some can get to more than 20’ long) and how you want the clematis to look. Some folks let a longer clematis grow to the top of the clematis and then cascade down, while others will size the trellis to the projected height of the clematis planned to grow on it. Most of my clematis reach 6’-12’ long, and I have mostly 6’-8’ obelisks and trellises. For the longer vines, the mostly ramble across nearby shrubs once they grow beyond he top of the metal support. For most of my clematis, 4’ would be a bit short, but I do have some 5’-6’ clematis with 5’ supports.

what clematis are you thinking about growing?

I just realized that the “height” of the fence would be the width of the trellis, since it will be flipped. Then, I can cut it to whatever height I want. Duh! So, is 3 feet wide enough, or is 4 feet better?

My husband pointed out I would likely need a conduit piece for each side and the top and the bottom for better support. Does that sound true? (He would be good at putting this together for me, thankfully!)

Not sure what clematises I want, other than Jackmanni. Looks like it gets pretty tall. I think most I have been interested in were 8-10 foot ones. I assume 6 or 7 feet tall would be ok if I let the vines cascade or trim them?

I really appreciate the help!

Yes, your husband is correct, though a big upside down U missing the bottom support would also be fine since the feet planted in the ground will provide the stiffness needed for the base. Give it relatively long feet, at least a foot to 1 1/2’, depending on your wind and soil type and the trellis height because the vine covered trellis makes a good sail. Mine usually have long feet, more like 2’ because I have sandy soil.

I would make it at least 4’ wide for a vigorous clematis like Jackmanii, though for smaller plants, 3’ might be enough. The fence height can be the width or you can have bands of fencing going across the width of the frame if you want a width other than what is available in fencing. 8’-10’ should be fine.

Ok, got it. Thanks, Babs! :)

Add some photos when yours are made and planted. ;>)

Well, I have a list of things I need and it’s in my Lowe’s online cart...just need to convince myself that $100 will be worth it for three trellises (and potential for more later). I think I will likely end up doing it. I will post pics! :):)

I have lately been using 3/4 inch rebar as vertical supports and the metal mesh grids sold for concrete reinforcing as the wire mesh for them to climb. They both rust and I like how that disappears against my old cedar fence. Home Depot sells the grids for less than ten bucks. DH has also cut and welded 1/2 inch rebar into an obelisk which worked great. I used rebar to lead a Clematis up into a tree too. Clematis climb rebar without tying. I have seen at a display garden, rebar "ladders" made for Clematis. 12-18" cross pieces welded on with a finial on top.

Farm and ranch stores sell wire mesh fencing called "cattle panels" for about twenty bucks. I have seen them used in a big garden often open to the public that has a couple hundred Clematis. Mr. Tuttle cuts them up and also uses them as walk through arbors, staked to the ground on both ends with rebar. This photo shows the wire mesh grids for reinforcing concrete stapled between pressure treated 4 x 4 posts.

this is a close up of a Montana climbing similar fencing on the side of the barn.

I thought I had pictures of his cattle panel arches/arbors but I can't seem to find them.

If you google cattle panel arch you will see tons of pics of them being used for vegetable gardening trellises, works same for Clematis

Check out 'Roots and Refuge' youtube channel...Jess uses alot of Cattle Panel for her garden. :)