Hmmmmm....been there, done that and the results were not happy ones :-(

The vines and climbers were not the primary problems. Trellises, etc. were rather easily removed and the vines just kind of piled on top of themselves. Was a bit of a mess to get untangled and straightened out after the painting work finished but doable. It was the other, smaller plantings that suffered, mostly from ladders and feet. In my very heavily planted garden, it was difficult to protect everything and the painters obviously did not place the same value on smaller, delicate plants that I did.

My suggestion would be to do as much of the removal of vines, etc. yourself. That way you can ensure the minimum amount of damage is done and that the replacement will be a smooth operation. Provide some sort of temporary protection for smaller plants - stakes or wire fencing around them, for example - so that feet do not necessarily land right in the middle. And if at all possible, be there when they set up to make sure drop cloths are used and placed carefully and that all debris is cleaned up properly and hauled away when thay are finished. And restrict their clean up area to a specific location. Even with a high grade exterior latex paint, the mess of clean up can be extensive and takes time to disappear.

The good news is that not all painting contractors are created equally and some are very conscientious, others are not. While I checked in with the foreman everyday before I left for work and gave specific instructions, he did not stay on the job site all day either (checking in on other jobs) and the crew just kind of did their own thing. Paint job was great, though!

Yes: it depends on how responsive and responsible the workmen are. There is no need to destroy plantings while painting a house.

Thank you both for you input. I did this once before when the garden was new. Funny thing is; the siding behind the trellises doesn't need painting - it's the exposed wood!

I have been laying down some of the smaller trellises, but have some clematis growing on a few objects that need to be moved away from the house. Should I try to unwind them and dig them up, or lay them down and hope for the best?

Digging up plants and moving them out of the area is the only sure way to protect them from a paint job. You just cannot expect contractors to care about your plants the same way you would hope them to. Not in their nature, plants are something in the way to them.

Clematis are very forgiving so long as you know they will not bloom until they've recovered. I'd chop them back and dig them up and heel them in in a safe area, but they won't bloom this year, and maybe not next year either. But, they'll be alive.

Hoping for the best is a good way to be disappointed. It's a recurring thread here, how plants were destroyed by contracctors of various flavors, but it's unrealistic to expect no damage. Some people just don't share our enmeshment with our plants.

Makes me wonder if it's a good idea to put a space between the beds and the house for maintainence work. Put a pathway or patio there instead?