On 1/11/2009 8:28 AM, Dan Listermann wrote:
"David E. Ross" wrote in message
et...
On 1/10/2009 4:30 PM, Dan Listermann wrote:
What considerations are there to using decorative grass as a privacy
fence?
We are looking at a bit of property that gets flooded annually. A normal
privacy fence would probably be damaged during the flood. I figure that
a
line of this very tall dense grass, while damaged, could just grow back
every year.


I would avoid pampas grass. In many areas, it's considered an invasive
pest. No, it doesn't spread by runners the way bamboo spreads.
Instead, it scatters seed.

Other tall ornamental grasses go dormant in the winter. They need to be
cut quite low before new growth starts in the spring. This eliminates
them from use as a privacy screen.

As someone else suggested, you might try a clumping bamboo. Look up
bamboo in Sunset's Western Garden Book. For each species, it tells how
big it grows, its climate adaptability, and whether it's clumping or
running. (If you plant running bamboo, your neighbors might visit you
in the middle of the night with tar and feathers, to ride you out of
town on a rail.)

I would not mind them going dorment over the winter so long as they stand.
When do they need to be cut back and how long will it take for thehm to
regrow to full height?

It should be cut back before new growth starts in the spring. You would
have a few weeks without the screening effect.

How "thick" is bamboo? Can it work as a privacy fence?

It can create quite an effective screen, even 30 ft tall (depending on
the variety, some are only 6 ft tall). It won't grow thick enough to be
a fence that can keep animals out of your yard and probably won't even
keep people out.


It would seem that to produce a fence, it would be very expensive. How
could these bamboo be propagated. Can you divide the clump?

The cost depends on the variety of bamboo. Yes, bamboo can be divided.
Because of a strong root system, however, dividing a clump of bamboo
might require more effort than you want to invest.

However, bamboo can be easily propagated from cuttings. Take a young
shoot, cut it into sections with at least two nodes (the ring where the
shoot is solid) in a section, and use the sections to start new plants.

One advantage of bamboo is that it doesn't go dormant in the winter. It
might stop growing, but it stays green. It does need occasional
grooming, which involves cutting down dead shoots.

WARNING: Do not mistake giant reed (Arundo donax) for bamboo. Arundo
is a very invasive pest. It's illegal to plant it in some jurisdictions.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/