need advice on planting clematis

[AnimalBabe]

For those of you with green thumbs, I have several questions about planting a clematis. I always admired them growing around the neighborhood and just bought a new one this year to train up an ugly tree of ours, and then planted one out front last Fall. Now that the one out front is coming up (it's about 12 inch high almost already), I need to figure out how to train it up our lamppost. I bought the "durandii" variety which I know isn't really known for its climbing properties, so I"m assuming any type of support will do, and that I will just have to tie it up as it goes? I bought some sort of 1" wire mesh (I think it was labeled "hardware cloth") from home depot and was going to wrap that around the pole, but just read that 1" holes might be too small for a clematis and you really need 2" holes. Well, the 2" rolls they sold at H.Depot were $40! I'm not spending that much. I couldn't find anything else to use in the gardening department either. Any ideas? I saw a few people in the area with a small wire trellis in front of their lampposts, but what I don't understand is how the plant is supposed to keep climbing once it goes beyond their supports. I don't think they cling by themselves to the lampppost right?

Now, for planting up our tree. This is the general idea I found for planting my newly arrived Clematis Montana: http://www.homeofclematis.net/html/pl_06.htm. I was hoping the wire mesh I bought for the front yard could also be used to wrap around the tree, but maybe I should have bought a plastic more flexible netting for the tree??

I have absolutely no experience growing clematis before, and the folks at the gardening center didn't seem to either, so if anyone can assist I would be so grateful. Thanks!!

[chozen]

I have three clematis in three different spots. I know clematis grow to different heights and depending on th variety some need pruned more then others. I have one on the front mail box post and have chicken wire around the whole post. Chicken wire has 1" openings and seems to do great on it. One thing clematis like is there roots shaded, eastern sun exposure is best.

[jse107]

I use gardening wire twist ties to keep it attached to our lampost, particularly as some of it gets heavier.

[AnimalBabe]

Thanks for the replies.

Chozen, sounds like my 1" might work then. For the other two you have, not around the mail box, how high do they grow for you and do you have the wire reaching as far up as they grow?

jse107: do you also use wire, or just ties all the way up your post? It really doesn't slide down??