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Bamboo - good or bad? Alternatives?

9 replies

MrsL123 · 13/04/2010 21:46

One side of our garden is relatively well screened with trees, but there's a gap between our two young apple trees that is about 8 feet wide. The gap used to contain a Kilmarnock Willow before the dogs pulled it to pieces

We only have a 3 foot picket fence on that side, so the gap means our very nosy neighbours can see right into the garden from their sofa. We've been looking for ways to screen it but we don't want to use anything that will form a dense wall of green, because it would block the sun from their patio in the late evening (gardens are south facing). They're in their 80s and don't tend to sit out at night, but I'm trying to be thoughtful!

We were in B&Q tonight and I noticed they had some Golden Bamboo. It was nice and leafy, so thick enough to give us privacy, but not so thick it would block the sun (and it made a nice swishy noise!). They had different sizes between 2 and 8 feet, so I wondered if it'd be better to get taller ones and plant them directly into the ground, or get shorter ones and plant them in pots like this? I've heard that bamboo spreads very quickly, and don't want it to take over the garden if I plant it straight in the soil - is there something I can do to stop it spreading?

The alternative is to ditch the bamboo altogether if I can find another kind of evergreen plant that will grow tall/bushy quickly (in pots or in the ground) and not become too dense - any ideas?

TIA

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isthatporridgeinyourzone · 14/04/2010 08:47

I like bamboo but you need to get a clump former rather than a running variety, otherwise it is a bit rampant. Golden bamboo is a clump former so you should be OK. I would bother with pots.

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Pannacotta · 14/04/2010 09:16

As Porridge says, clump forming bamboo is fine, Phyllostachys aurea is what you would have seen, the black stem, P nigra is handsome too.
DOnt plant in pots as Bamboo dont do at all well in pots.

They are great for screening as not too dense as you say, but they will grow to 4-5m in time.

I'd get the taller plants as they will give instant height and privacy.

There are other options, Pittosporum is a good screening shrub which isn't too dense, also Escallonia, Bay, Itea, all will grow to 3-4m or more but can be kept smaller with pruning.

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MrsL123 · 14/04/2010 15:50

Thanks for the replies, that's put my mind at rest. I just don't want it to invade the neighbour's garden, we have enough hassle with them as it is! We're going to Dobbies tonight so I'll have a good look at what they've got, but it does seem the perfect option. DH tells me that our patio flags were sickeningly expensive because they're imported from Japan (not that he paid for them - his friend had them left over from a lanscaping job he did at a posh hotel!) so we may have a theme developing

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MrsL123 · 14/04/2010 15:50

Landscaping

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NorbertDentressangle · 14/04/2010 15:54

I've heard that planting it in a pot, in the soil will stop it from spreading.

I've got a few in pots on the patio and love it.

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lincstash · 15/04/2010 00:31

Theres two sorts of bamboo, you need to know what you are buying.

Bamboo either CLUMPS, ie form big isolated bushes like couch grass, or it MATS, the roots spread out sending runners that shoot up at intervals. These can take your whole garden over in a few years.

Make sure you buy clumping bamboos for screening.

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Lovecat · 20/04/2010 16:48

God yes, buy one that clumps - our next door neighbour bought the other variety, moved out, new buyers dug up his front up and paved it for parking, we now have a wall of the damn stuff growing up through our borders We keep cutting it but it keeps on coming back....

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fudgecat · 22/04/2010 19:18

we were given a small amount of the spreading type about 5 years ago. It now can be spotted up to 4m away in the neighbours garden

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Pannacotta · 22/04/2010 20:12

According to Dan Pearson (who really knows his plants), the Phyllostachys bamboos are ok and dont spread.

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