"Steveo" wrote in message
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[snip]
I've heard 'be careful where you plant Bamboo', and I live in Ohio.
FYI
There are two types of bamboo -- running and clumping. Running types tend
to live in colder climates and clumping types are sometimes called
"tropical".
If you get a running bamboo it's best to put in a barrier, as some others
have discussed. No barrier is needed for a clumping bamboo, which will not
spread out agressively.
Popular running bamboos include Black Bamboo (Phy. nigra), Golden Goddess,
and Arrow Bamboo (a U.S. native).
Clumping bamboos include Giant Timber Bamboo, Buddha Belly, and others.
I have clumps of Giant Timber and Buddha Belly on the north side of my
house, where it provides a wonderful windbreak and has also become bird
habitat. I thin it about once a year to get some bamboo poles for other
work.
I also have areas with Black Bamboo and Arrow Bamboo -- the Black has a
barrier, the Arrow doesn't, but I've kept it under control by cutting off
new growth when it shows up. If you don't have a barrier around a runner
and it's in your garden or near an orchard it may be a nuisance to keep
under control.
If you plant a running bamboo and later change your mind it will be
difficult but not impossible to remove it, and then just lop off any new
culms that pop up, because the plant root is not too dense. I've moved my
Black Bamboo a couple of times until I finally found the right spot for it.
If you plant a clumping bamboo and let it stay in place for a few years it
will probably become a permanent fixture because the clump will create an
extremely dense rootball that will be difficult to get out without heavy
machinery.
Bamboo won't necessarily give you a quick screen. The saying goes, "The
first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps."
Mine is well into the leaping stage, but it provided a very effective shield
during the hurricanes of 2004-5, absorbing the wind pressure and bending but
not significantly breaking.
My source has been the Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville, FL, which
has a yearly bamboo sale. You can get more information at
http://www.kanapaha.org Regards --