bamboo recommendations for privacy for back garden

granty1892

Hi All,
i know nothing of gardening at all and am looking to put up some bushes in my back garden (just your average sized semi detached house). 
i want them up for some privacy when out the back, the neighbour beside me has bamboo and im inkling towards them as theyre high(ish) and clean and dont grow out too much to eat up all the space in the back. can someone recommend where and what bamboo to get or is there an alternative?? 

Also out the front we have no wall as its a fairly new house and are looking for a divide between our lawn and the neighbours, is there some sort of shrubbery we can get to separate that again wont grow out too wild and will save us on building expensive

(sorry for the vagueness my gardening intellect is lacking....)

Have a look here http://www.stambamboo.com/

Better still give him a call or drop in. He has excellent advice.

HeidiHeidi

OP, I wouldn't claim to be much better than you in the knowledge stakes - but I believe some bamboos are vigorous spreaders and will be everywhere in a fairly short time.

I have a bamboo plant in my back patio and the fecking thing is lifting up patio slabs all around it - the shoots are spreading underneath and then forcing their way up where they find a weak spot. I'll (regretfully) have to get rid of it next winter I think.

Just be aware of that potential, and be sure of what you're planting!

Lumen

For bamboo, as usual the RHS site is a great place to start:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=79

Specifically, study the bit about running vs clump-forming bamboos. If you get that wrong you're DOOMED. :pac:

Regarding your lawn boundary, the usual solution is a hedge although it'll take a few years before it looks neat. Or you could plant a mixed hedge of various closely-planted shrubs which will look less neat but more interesting.

A low fence (3ft) adds a bit of architectural interest behind the shrubs, although after just putting in 160m of post and rail I'm slightly obsessed with fencing and possibly not thinking straight.

todbranson44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/103843427#Comment_103843427

I know This thread is very old :) But I want to Thank you for this information...

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/103843323#Comment_103843323

Just to update this - we had to get a mini-digger type thing in, lift about a quarter of the patio slabs, dig out the rootball which was ENORMOUS, and relay the slabs. And there were still rogue shoots popping up in various random spots until last year!

And that, to the best of my knowledge, was just one bamboo plant (gone rogue).

Never again!!!