Bamboo and screening - best way to contain it!

[musicalmrs]

Looking for some bamboo advice!

We have quite a small garden. Our NDN originally had beds the opposite side of our fence and over-fertilised them, which has resulted on in a foot or so of grass on our side of the fence dying and us having no luck in replanting it (with turf or seed). I suppose I need to neutralise the soil somehow, so must look up how to do that.

Said NDN also have children who constantly poke their heads over the fence, lean on fence and throw things over. We're hoping some bordering bamboo might help deter this a bit - and could be put in troughs which would cover some of the area we can't seem to grow grass in.

My plan initially was to buy big trough/planter type things and plant running bamboo in them. I know they need to be deep, and I was also contemplating half burying them to secure them. Is this wise? Am I better off with placing them on the grass -and if so do I need to ensure I get something (i.e. not plastic) to ensure their roots won't break through? I've considered wooden troughs but this bit of garden gets very waterlogged (partly because the neighbours now have no green stuff in their garden whatsoever) so I suspect even with treatment they'd rot quite quickly. Would plastic troughs, not buried, on plastic trays work, so I could keep an eye on when roots are beginning to break through?

Any advice welcome as I don't know much about bamboo!

Bumping this thread as I'd love to know the answer too!

The pots need to be placed on slabs otherwise the roots make their way out of the holes in the bottom of the pots and into the ground, and spread everywhere that way.

Buy a clumping bamboo type that isn’t invasive (google them) and use fibreglass pots?

the pot need to be on slabs and you need to make sure that the slabs a free of dirt and check for riots running out of the container.

I would go for climbers (honeysuckle, jasmine) & strings and possibly pyracantha in strategic areas.

tbh even slow running bamboo is best in pots (you can bury them inside their pots)

Don't bury the pots. It will provide the ideal circumstances for escaping roots.
Bamboo needs lots of moisture and using troughs will not only create drought like conditions as the sides heat up in the summer, the relative size of the troughs to the height and weight of the bamboo will cause instability.

Unless you are using actually farm drinking troughs with an accessible feed of water I would say don't plant bamboo.

Find another screening option, people on here are the best for suggestions.

Don't be put off using bamboo as a screen! We used it in our last garden and it was excellent - we have bought some for this garden too.

The trick is to buy clump forming bamboo. We use fargesia robusta campbell. We bought some heavy duty barrier material last time, dug down 1 metre and lined the back of the trench with it to stop it going under the fence. We haven't bothered this time - we've just planted a little further from the fence. If the rhizomes spread too far they can be easily spotted and cut out.

only bury clumping bamboo in their pots. the running kind needs to be well contained

Agree that bamboo needs contained. In a maximum security cell!
We have some that was planted 40 years ago by the previous owners. It sprouts so fast you can actually hear it growing on still summer days - it clicks and squeaks as it stretches. The roots are deep and tough and it invades everywhere, sending runners up behind and through other bushes. The only ‘plus’ is that it provides free bamboo canes for use elsewhere in the garden. Choose something (anything!) else, is my advice.

The answer is to not buy bamboo. It's worse than mint for its spreading power. Its like little shop of horrors

I would also advise against bamboo. Our garden is surrounded on 3 sides by various neighbours “bamboo groves!” The rhizomes are constantly growing under the fence & it is impossible for us to grow anything as the bamboo gets EVERYWHERE! It’s also about 12 foot tall so blocks our sunlight. I’m sure there are many more climbers you could plant which would not be so invasive.

Thanks for all your replies - most helpful, and have given me food for thought.

I realise running bamboo may not have been the best option! Clumping bamboo would be what I go for (after hearing all your sage advice), with slabs underneath and troughs that are either on top or can be removed to check for runners.

Those who say to avoid bamboo altogether - what would you suggest? The key points:

• soil appears to be killing off the grass (thanks neighbours) so I suspect whatever it is will have to be in planters
• I don't really want anything affixed to the fence. I have one climber on that fence already, on a bamboo trellis and the neighbours have claimed that it's "breaking the fence". In reality, that'll be the heavy stones they have in their 'flower bed' pushed up against the fence, but anyway... We also plan to move in the next few years and would like the ability to take plants with us easily if we want (there are plenty of established plants/climbers that would be staying, never fear!).
• That said, I'm not adverse to having a trough with a trellis of some sort attached to it if that's a good plan.
• Our garden is pretty narrow. Whatever it is needs to be not too wide (as it were) but tall. I'm not looking for complete screening, more something tall, adding interest to the fence, deterring from broken bits from little hands and potentially blocking out the neighbours a little more :D
• Whatever it is needs to be happy in the shade for quite a lot of the day.
• Must be child and pet safe (though children are getting old enough to know not to pick unknown berries now).

The need for something to be tall, in planters, happy in shade and quite narrow was what led me to bamboo in the first place. If anyone has any better suggestions I'm all ears. Bonus points for attracting more bugs and bees to the garden too!

greenelephantscarf, can pyracantha be kept as quite shallow bushes?

I think there’s a hedge form of white willow that is tall, thin and shade tolerant. You plant several 6 foot stems of it, spaced a little apart, and it thickens to make a screen.
I’d avoid pyracantha as it has vicious thorns and is a bugger to prune.
Buddleia is tall, thin, tough and attracts loads of butterflies, but needs a least a little sun at the top.
What about simply scrambling an attractive variegated ivy over the fence? Cheap, tough, shade tolerant. Plant some tall foxgloves in front of it for summer colour - they love damp shade.