Sorry but really he gave you what you wanted I think you needed to be more specific and if you want help here you need to post some pics. I wonder why 12' so a better explanation is IMO needed .

@Patricia Colwell Consulting, it's not a big problem; it was just a bit of a (humorous) shock when we saw it (after showing him photos of a sleek, black matte pole).

As far as height, we came up with 12' because our eaves are at 10' and we'll be attaching the string lights there (V shape with pole on other side). I can't post pics because he has the pole in his trailer and he's out picking up more materials. I mainly wondered if the creative types and/or gardeners had ideas on ways to make the pole look a little less drab, either with vines or some sort of creative twist.

are you adverse to spray paint? I'd paint it matte black so it kind of recedes. or white. then decide if you still hate it. I think a skinny vine could look good. but it's not going to conceal the entire pole, so giving it a background color first would be ideal.

Patricia Colwell Consulting the pole is 12' for string lights.

Paint is a good start. Maybe get it powder-coated at an auto-body shop before installation? You can do a faux finish on it to get a verdigris or other weathered look.

There are lots of things you can do to "skin" it, if it's not well-placed to grow things on it. You could even make it a square post with 1x4s...

@User, no, we're not adverse to spray paint. I was actually heading to my local hardware store in a bit to choose a color. I was planning on matte black, but since our window frames/hardware and roof are all in the silver/light gray range, I think maybe a flat grey would blend in better. Or white, now that you mention it. I hadn't even thought of that!

I realize now my shock was partly due to the pole's width. When I heard 3" I thought that meant 3" diameter overall, but now I learn it means the diameter of the inside of the pole (not including the actual metal). Rookie mistake!

Here are some pics if it helps. :) @Patricia Colwell Consulting

Yellow dot marks the spot where pole will be installed (2 feet deep).

Fairy lights are less in keeping with ”modern” than your steel pole…

@Fori, ooohh, I'd love to get it powder coated but no time, alas. It's going in right now. Oh well!

@kitasei2, ha no, I wouldn't really do fairy lights....though maybe during holidays. :)

Matte black. You want it to recede. White or silver makes it an element.

@HALLETT & Co., thanks I like matte black but was thinking gray might blend in better with all the other gray?

p.s. Can you (or anyone here) tell if that pipe is galvanized? My contractor bought it off someone he knows and says he doesn't know (!).

@BeverlyFLADeziner, wow! what a cool and creative idea! Thanks!

@BeverlyFLADeziner

Amazing how you solve dilemmas!

What a great trellis

Probably galvanized or I would think the whole surface would be rust colored. I would still paint it black and live with it but hard to go by me, all of my trim, fencing, and outdoor furniture is black.

Thank you, njmomma!

That looks like pretty thickwall tube. Needed to be strong like bull so the light strings don't sag (at least beyond what is aesthetic sag you may want) with the pole bending. Especially only burying 2' with 10' exposed. So contractor seems to be doing right. Doesn't look galvanized (and don't think you can get thickwall in galv). Make sure to cap it or you'll have a nice beehive and water storage eventually.

I'd agree on the paint it black or dark dark brown to recede, any other color showcases it.

Cover: besides the downspout trellis, some of the light string may be wrapped around it, may even be necessary if the length of string is fixed and you don't want to double back on itself.

At that size though you could have also used a flagpole.

Kind of an unusual idea to put a 12ft pole in the backyard. What was your inspiration for that? I'm struggling to figure out the "why"?