I would use fishing line or netting. But then I wouldn't want anything to obscure the columns, which a wooden trellis would do.

I’m hoping that eventually the clematis itself will obscure most of the columns.

The wooden trellis’ I have are only about 4ft tall anyway.

I realize the vine will eventually obscure it :-) But that's the intent and that will provide a softening, natural effect. The wood trellis would be the distraction.

Haha I understand now. The wooden one is definitely ugly.

Is netting with 6” squares ok? That seems like the strings wouldn’t be dense enough?

As fast as SAC grows, you could probably get away with that. Although I'd be inclined to pick something with a smaller sized grid initially.........

There are wire half columns available that would work well for your needs. Since SAC is a cut back hard every year plant netting would likely need to be replaced often if not yearly. Or even a white coated garden fencing.

I found that flexible fiber netting was really difficult to separate from the vines after they were cut down for the winter. I tried a couple of different types - a fine black netting often sold to keep bids from eating berries, and a stouter white woven mesh, and both were impossible to reuse.

So now I use welded wire fencing which is easier to get the vines off of after a hard freeze when I cut them down.

What is the result of not removing the cut clematis from the netting and just letting the new growth take over it in the spring?

It would probably be dead and ugly for a while, but I think I would prefer that to any wire- even though both would only be temporarily visible.

I'm going to add a photo later today.

Where are you located (geographic area)? If you do not wish to cut it back (not something I'd recommend for SAC), then perhaps an evergreen or a no-prune clematis like a montana would be a better choice. But all will require some pruning or trimming periodically, otherwise they could eat your front porch!! They are all very large vines.

I wouldn't leave it rather than cutting it back for a few reasons.

- I don't know where you are, but my clematis are dead vines at least half the year, and they keep their leaves all winter. So in my area, it would mean looking at a giant mound of dead foliage for a long time with the pillar totally hidden. The leaves aren't really frost hardy in the fall, so consider when you get first hard frost or freeze. Do you want to look at a giant pile of dead leaves from fall frost until it starts releafing out in the spring?

- In climates starting only very slightly warmer than mine (some areas of zone 5 and all areas warmer than that, especially in the eastern part of the US), the seeds have time ripen before frost kills the plant back, and SAC is a problem as far as invasive self-seeding, leading to SAC seedlings not only in your own yard, but also in nearby yards and in wooded areas, anywhere close enough for the wind to blow the seeds. It is a listed invasive in some states, so check with your state department of natural resources to see if that particular one is an issue where you live or check out the listings on this link. If it is cut down right after flowering, before seeds have time to ripen, this can help control self-seeding.

- The main reason that type 3/hard prune clematis are hard pruned is because they bloom on new growth. If you prune down to just a few buds per stem, pretty much all growth is new and so you have a quite full set of flowers top to bottom on the plant. If you don't hard prune, you may end up with more flowers toward the ends of branches and not have a plant as full of flowers.

- Removing the vine will allow you to clean the pillar and fascia boards, do any maintenance or repainting, and give the structure some time without the dampness of plants right against the building.

I would be more likely to use several strands of high test fishing line with knots tied every 6" or so than netting since at season's end you can grab each piece of fishing line separately and just strip the vines off it more easily. It will also be far less obtrusive than mesh. Or use wire fencing in 3' sections which you add to the pillar as the plant grows and spray paint the welded wire white (or whatever color the pillar is) with metal paint. That way, there won't a lot of fence visible at a time and it won't be hugely visible. Newly sprouting clematis can grow quite fast, more than 6" a day in my garden, so it won't be long before the fence is covered. Once up to the fascia boards, use several strands fishing line of slightly different lengths scalloping along from hook to hook to get a swag appearance.

Once more thought - I wouldn't plant this right next to a main walkway, porch entry or door. It is a truly enthusiastic grower so takes up quite a bit of space, and the large number of flowers attracts a lot of pollinators which may freak out folks who aren't fond of bugs. If that is where you are considering this one, you might want to choose a clematis that is a bit more restrained as far as growth width or plant it one pillar down and train the top growth both directions.

Thin wire mesh grids like those used for reinforcing concrete are not very visible at all. they are easily bend too. I agree that netting is very hard to separate from the vines and you do want to prune Clematis.

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses! I'm glad you aren't tired of my stupid questions yet.

I'm in zone 7a (middle Tennessee) and these columns are on the back porch/covered patio area, so it's OK if the clematis takes up tons of space.

The note about the vines not flowering as well the entire length is what's going to get me to cut it back each season. If it grows this fast, my 15-20ft distance I want it to cover will take no time at all!

With your set up I would try the fishing line as Babs suggested above. It would be the least obvious when not covered in vines and easily disposed with pruning. If you can find some white netting with big holes like I used for my peas, though mine was green, that might not be too obtrusive. After you get tired of hanging line or netting in a few years you might decide to go with white plastic coated wire fencing. Please post photos of your choice this spring and decisions you make over the next several years.

This might be a stupid question, but how do I hang the fishing line?

I'm imagining screwing small eyelets into the top and bottom of the columns, then running the line between them.

It's finally staying warmer overnight, so I think I'm going to plant these into the ground this weekend.

I have used hooks or eyelets at the top, screwed into the soffit and then anchored the base with long hairpin-shaped stakes into the soil.

That’s genius, I have so much to learn!

Thank you! I will post pictures once they’ve been planted. I think a rabbit got one of them last night because there’s only a knub left

When you plant them, give them a chicken wire or welded mesh wire surround a bit higher than the rabbits can reach. One pruning won't hurt them and may make them fuller sooner, but if they are always without stems and leaves that won't be good.. Use heavy duty line ( I've used 70 lb. test line, clear so it is almost invisible. Tying knots will help the plant grip with the smooth line.

These can be heavy plants, so be sure that the top hooks are rugged and not just screwed into the soffit boards, but also into structure that supports the soffits such as 2x6" framing.

When planting, give them a wide hole with lots of compost turned in. Most clematis like to be planted a few inches deeper in the ground than they were in the pot. It will make them send out more stems,

I read in this old thread that folks were using fishing sinkers instead of knots.

Is that feasible? How large do the knots need to be? I didn't think that part through yet.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/the-cheap-fishing-line-trellis-dsvw-vd~1371817

My understanding is that in the discussion you linked, the ferrules were used to attach cross pieces of line to the main vertical pieces of line to create a net. But you could try that. I was just thinking of tying single knots every 6" or so up the length of single strands to allow some grip for the vines.

I appreciate everyone's feedback on this.

I haven't done it yet as I haven't had time to devote to figuring out the issues I will encounter.

But Saturday, I should be good to go! I've got my eye screws, fishing line, sinkers, and stakes (as well as edging pins).

I think my biggest issue will be figuring out where in the fascia/soffitt to drill a pilot hole for the eye screws.

Trial & Error

Tap the soffit board with something hard like a hammer or tool handle. It will sound different where there is support wood behind it vs. where it is hollow.

IT SNOWED ON SATURDAY!

Maybe this week will be the week I get this project completed!

So this project ended up being a lot more difficult than I anticipated. The wood frame of the porch roof was covered by gutters, layers of aluminum and vinyl siding, etc

I ended up getting the eye screws in the top and tied the fishing wire to them. Then I tied the other end of the wire to some lawn staples and hammered them into the ground right next to the baby clematis plants.

Unfortunately, I only have two eye screws for each column. Not sure where to take it from here but I might just wait and see how the plant grows, then adjust accordingly.

I think I'm struggling to see in what way it will develop and grow.

I can't thank everyone enough for their wonderful advice. I'm excited to post pictures in a couple months of the progress!

I owe everyone big thank yous for all the help provided in this thread!

My sweet autumn clematis is finally taking off after not doing much of aything for a couple of months.

Right up the fishing line, as planned!

The vine on one of the columns has reached the top and is moving along towards the other column nicely now.

Probably 12-15ft long if I stretched it out in a straight line.

I'll have to post some pictures soon.

I really didn't understand the direction folks here were giving me, but now that I see the habit of the plant, the fishing line idea is GENIUS.

I just keep adding small pieces whenever a stray vine appears and it wraps itself around it within the day. Basically I can keep extending the "trellis" at whatever rate and in whichever direction I'd like, and the SAC goes down that path.

I've read that morning glories (heavenly blue) would choke out even a mature SAC. Is this accurate?

Not even close :-) First, the morning glory is an annual in most parts of the country and seldom exceeds 10-12'....the SAC can easily get double that size.

Thanks for the reply! I would make sure it's an annual so I could hack them back down at pruning time without it getting too complicated.

I would likely give the sweet autumn at least a year to get established before planting any annual vines. Perennials spend the first year or two putting in good root systems while annuals like morning glories tend to just grow fast.

Looks great! Lisa

How long do the blooms stay on SAC?

One of them had flowers this morning for the first time.