You might want to make sure that having a clem climb up the telephone pole is ok with the phone company or electric company. Otherwise, sounds like a great idea. I have a telephone pole in my front yard too, but have hesitated on planing a clem under it because of that very reason.

I don't think any of the evergreens will survive Zone 5.

All Clems benefit from being cut back hard their first few years.

I find the Atragene Group looks less ratty for me in summer. Don't need to be cut back after being established.

I think the closest in color to what you want is tangutica 'My Angel' but she can be very weedy looking and a wide grower. I just ripped out a tangutica because it was smothering it's neighbors and not growing neatly up the tree I provided. It had grown shoots two feet in all directions under the soil that just popped up too.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Angel

What Kenstar said....not only do they need access (and in doing their work will most definitely damage your beautiful clematis), but can just decide to replace your pole with a new one (if the old one is on it's last legs), which is what they did to me (twice!). That's a whole other story....To be safe, keep the area of servitude (6 feet here in Montreal) planted with potted plants (smaller clems with trellis attached to the pots), then you can just sweep everything out of the way when they come. I am very lucky - they actually changed the whole line 2 years ago and put the pole in my NEIGHBOUR'S yard - someone who doesn't garden, and couldn't care less about their property.

Judith

Personally I dont know anything. Purchased my first one this year. I fell in love with a double purple that I saw in town, decided it must be the "multi-blue, and bought it. I can't wait. Anyway I was just thinking that it would look awesome with a terra cotta color. Hope it goes well for you

They put the poles in your front yard over there! Here (in Australia) they put them in the street, on the footpath, near the gutter, and run the wires to the house usually attaching them to a gable or other fascia board. In my street though, all the electricity and telephone lines and cables are under ground - no poles at all - at least a metre (3 feet) down. Would a clem, climb a pole? I've planted mine around the pool fence and installed wire mesh for the tendrills to hook onto.

That's a great point funnelweb. The clem has to have some kind of way to climb the pole. It won't automatically climb a large round pole. It would have to have netting around it, or climb up a tree or bush next to the pole.