I am fairly new to growing Clematis, but I just had to tell you that I LOVE that!! Just awesome! (I moved and the 6 I have now have only been in the ground for about 3 years)

That is amazing!!!! Love love love it. It's magical. I would plant one on each side but that's just me. You must update us with photos when you have it going !

That's beatiful. But you should plant a clem on either side -- vines aren't really fond of growing downward. They usually want to grow toward the sun, so they mostly go up!

I think Ville De Lyon will get to big for just half of this at 5 ft high. Does anyone grow VDL in zone 4, I have never seen a 10 ft clem in my area they are all around 4-5 ft. even my The President only gets 5 feet. I am wondering if it is like my roses because of the winter die back and shorter growing season they do not make it to full size listed for them.

It will be a challenge to find the materials to make this bigger than 5 ft, so I may have my husband help me with a simple rebar obelisk for the VDL and have him play around with this winter to make me something like the above an then next year find smaller growing clems for it.

If Babs sees this she'll be able to give you better info about cold zones. She's in New Hampshire.

I think i just recently read that the twining petioles of clematis need material 3/8" or narrower. So I am wondering if the first question is whether any clematis can grasp the materials your structure is made of. Then the second question is whether clematis would like to be trained on a structure that does not go straight up. I am no expert! I just happened to stumble across your post while looking for obelisks. I do like the look of your structure!

Here's a link to the commercial one I've seen: Gracie Arbor.

Both the one pictured at the top of thread, and the one I linked to have pieces that are fine enough for a clematis to grab. The outside circles are too large, but the finer pieces strung between them will work just fine for clematis. And as long as something is generally going upwards or even sideways, if it is the only thing around for a clematis to grab, it will climb it. I haven't even see a clematis grow downward, so I agree with Amazindirt that there should be one planted on each side of you want it covered.

NHBABS thank you, I am going to show the picture to my husband and see what he comes up with. He does weld and has a welder, for all I know he may have the materials stashed somewhere that will work (he has "you never know" junk piles stashed everywhere LOL as long as I cant see it I wont complain). I think I may use it for my The President clematis instead of VDL, I know in the 6 years I have had it it says right around 5 ft. I am going to hard prune that and it would be the perfect time to take out its support and add a different one without having to transplant it. If I have my design right and placement of this structure, I have a sunrise sunset easy elegance rose planted in the area behind my president Clematis and it should fill in the area under the arch. We shall see, I get these pictures in my head then the plants just do what they want anyways. LOL

ellatiarlla, On the left side of the picture there is open area, the way it is in the picture probably would not work well for a clematis but I would use garden fencing or wire in this area to ensure the clematis had material to climb. This is the area I want to go 5-6 feet up and have a clematis that fits in that space.

Mlob, i am glad that you already have a plan for add-on's for the Clematis to grab onto.

For those who do not have a husband who welds, check out your local farm/ranch/feed supply for wire grid "cattle panels" they are inexpensive, about $25 here, and you can bend them in an arch and stake them down on each end. I have pics somewhere...I'll see if I can find...

My husband is being a PIA about building this- every material I mention he says this material won't work, its going to be too large, too wide for the spot yada yada yada. So I have decided to put that idea on the back burner for now (he will see this request again, I am not giving up yet. Just need to find a different spot).

I am building an obelisk myself without his help. I added the supplies to Lowes shopping cart then printed it out and gave it to him as my birthday present list. I also made a prototype (using a wooden chopstick and paper cut to proper dimensions in inches) and printed the instructions to show him I know what I am doing and don't need any of his input. His only question was do I need the supplies before my birthday, I said no just wrap it all in pretty birthday paper and I will open it at the birthday party you are now having for me LOL. I will teach him to question my garden design, LOL. Although he is probably right it would have looked to large in the space I was thinking.

BTW- it is the garden orbs project on the Lowes site I am just going to make one of them more oval than round. Will be 10ft total with 2-3 feet in the ground. The metal flat bar is slotted so I can add twine or wire crisscrossing so the clematis can climb.