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#1
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
I'm looking for recommendations for the variety, spacing, and
planting of a bamboo to QUICKLY grow privacy screen in Victoria BC (Zone 9). If you wouldn't mind providing a few suggestions, here is my situation: · The ideal bamboo would grow to 20' (6 meters) very quickly. · Any growth above the 20' (6 meter) minimum is not a significant concern. · The length of the screen we plan on growing is 60' (18 meters). · The area we plan to plant is now partially shaded, but once the bamboo reaches 15' (4.5 meters) and clears some cedars it should have full sun. · Leaves for privacy are not needed below the 5' (1.5 meter) fence height, and we like the look of bare culms for the first few feet off the ground. · The area we need to screen for privacy is between 5' (1.5 meters) and 20' (6 meters) from the ground, and any growth over 20' (6 meters) is not an issue. · While the screen will be planted along a 60' (18 meter) fence, we would prefer a narrow dense long line of bamboo rather than a thick bushy grove. Imagine a solid bamboo fence with a leafy canopy. · We would prefer a green over a yellow colour, but cost is a greater factor, so we don't need any exotic species (perhaps later for strictly ornamental purposes). I do plan on digging a trench, adding good soil and compost manure. We will use a barrier to prevent the bamboo from migrating over to the neighbor's property, and I'm prepared to spend the time required to maintain the grove. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can provide... Mitch |
#2
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
"Mitch" wrote in message
oups.com I'm looking for recommendations for the variety, spacing, and planting of a bamboo to QUICKLY grow privacy screen in Victoria BC (Zone 9). If you wouldn't mind providing a few suggestions, here is my situation: · The ideal bamboo would grow to 20' (6 meters) very quickly. · Any growth above the 20' (6 meter) minimum is not a significant concern. · The length of the screen we plan on growing is 60' (18 meters). · The area we plan to plant is now partially shaded, but once the bamboo reaches 15' (4.5 meters) and clears some cedars it should have full sun. · Leaves for privacy are not needed below the 5' (1.5 meter) fence height, and we like the look of bare culms for the first few feet off the ground. · The area we need to screen for privacy is between 5' (1.5 meters) and 20' (6 meters) from the ground, and any growth over 20' (6 meters) is not an issue. · While the screen will be planted along a 60' (18 meter) fence, we would prefer a narrow dense long line of bamboo rather than a thick bushy grove. Imagine a solid bamboo fence with a leafy canopy. · We would prefer a green over a yellow colour, but cost is a greater factor, so we don't need any exotic species (perhaps later for strictly ornamental purposes). I do plan on digging a trench, adding good soil and compost manure. We will use a barrier to prevent the bamboo from migrating over to the neighbor's property, and I'm prepared to spend the time required to maintain the grove. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can provide... Mitch This site may be helpful. http://www.bambooweb.info/ Are you sure you are in zone9? -- Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 5 |
#3
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
Hello Travis:
Thanks very much for the link to Bambooweb. I'm not positive that we are in Zone 9, but Victoria British Columbia has the mildest climate in Canada, and is described as a sub-Mediterranean zone. I believe my area (we have many micro-climates) of Victoria falls under Plant Hardiness Zone 8 or 9, and I am specifically at North 48 27.139 by West 123 26.501. We average 2,183 hours of sunshine each year, and rainfall of 23" (592 ml) per year. .... Mitch Travis M. wrote: "Mitch" wrote in message oups.com This site may be helpful. http://www.bambooweb.info/ Are you sure you are in zone9? -- Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 5 |
#4
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
Mitch,
There is a person on the forum at bambooweb.info that also lives in Victoria. If you look at the thread http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtop...light=victoria he talks about the bamboos that he is growing and has a link to photos of his bamboos and other subtropical plants. He also said that Victoria is in Zone 9. Bill -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#5
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Quote:
Otherwise several of the green Phyllostachys spp (P bissettii, P vivax, P dulcis, etc, etc), are relatively quick to give height, and energetic in their running, and I think would tend to spread pretty quickly in your climate; but you could need more starter plants to fill out a fence given their generally grove-forming tendencies. Vivax in particular will have lower culms free from leaves; as well as the green species you can get a variety called huanvenzhu which has a nice yellow stripe on it, (as well as var aureocaulis, yellow with a green stripe). Best to avoid the utterly rampant Sasas which are too likely to escape and become an ineradicable invasive weed in the PNW, even if you try to enclose. I would also suggest posting the question to the forum at www.bambooweb.info, where you will find more bamboo traffic, with a US/Canada bias. There are also quite a few active PNW posters at the otherwise UK-focused www.ukoasis.co.uk exotic plants forum. |
#6
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
echinosum wrote: Mitch Wrote: I'm looking for recommendations for the variety, spacing, and planting of a bamboo to QUICKLY grow privacy screenCUT The obvious suggestion is Semiarundinaria fastuosa or (better) Semiarundinaria fastuosa var viridis. Just curious, why would "var. viridis" be better than the type form? Is this purely a question of taste in coloring, or does the variant have some hedge properties that the type form doesn't? (I ask because I am also making a hedge, but prefer the coloring of the type form) Also, FYI to the original poster, many consider it wise to mix varieties in a hedge... I alternated Ph. nuda and S. fastuosa in my hedge. The main reason is the tendency for bamboo to flower gregariously (meaning all ast once) and die. If you have only one variety of boo in your hedge, there is a risk that after 10 long years of getting it established well, it will simply flower and die. Mixing varieties greatly reduces this risk. Alternatively, you can use a variety that is known to have recently flowered, so you at least know it won't die for 60+ years. Good luck. |
#7
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Bamboo Privacy Screen
On Jan 3, 2:47 am, echinosum
wrote: Mitch Wrote: I'm looking for recommendations for the variety, spacing, and planting of a bamboo to QUICKLY grow privacy screen in Victoria BC (Zone 9). [snip] · The length of the screen we plan on growing is 60' (18 meters). [snip] · While the screen will be planted along a 60' (18 meter) fence, we would prefer a narrow dense long line of bamboo rather than a thick bushy grove. Imagine a solid bamboo fence with a leafy canopy. · We would prefer a green over a yellow colour, but cost is a greater factor [snip] The obvious suggestion is Semiarundinaria fastuosa or (better) Semiarundinaria fastuosa var viridis. It is known as temple bamboo and commonly used for hedging temples in Japan. The point about S. fastuosa is that it can be easily persuaded to spread in straight lines, which you achieve by enclosing it both sides so that only the direction you are interested in is available to it. I believe it satisfies your other requirements, especially in your climate, apart from the fact that it leafs to the ground so you will have to clear the lower part of the culms if desired. (The var viridis stays greener, and possibly even more straight-line, whereas the species tends to lose the green colour after a while, but is more easily purchased.) As to quickly, you will have to wait some years for the final effect, unless you have a budget in 1000s, but that will be true of any bamboo. I understand bamboos tend to be fairly rampant in your climate, so perhaps not too many years. But with the straight line tendency you can probably get away with rather fewer plantings than might otherwise be necessary, since most running bamboos have a grove-forming tendency. The semiarundinarias are also a relatively cheap bamboo, though all bamboo tends to be expensive, very expensive when you are buying 18m of it. The alternative is to propagate your own, but that is time-consuming. Otherwise several of the green Phyllostachys spp (P bissettii, P vivax, P dulcis, etc, etc), are relatively quick to give height, and energetic in their running, and I think would tend to spread pretty quickly in your climate; but you could need more starter plants to fill out a fence given their generally grove-forming tendencies. Vivax in particular will have lower culms free from leaves; as well as the green species you can get a variety called huanvenzhu which has a nice yellow stripe on it, (as well as var aureocaulis, yellow with a green stripe). Best to avoid the utterly rampant Sasas which are too likely to escape and become an ineradicable invasive weed in the PNW, even if you try to enclose. I would also suggest posting the question to the forum atwww.bambooweb.info, where you will find more bamboo traffic, with a US/Canada bias. There are also quite a few active PNW posters at the otherwise UK-focusedwww.ukoasis.co.ukexotic plants forum. -- echinosum Try Bambusa Edulus |
#8
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before you do mak sure that you look around and price up the best deal. There are a lot of options out there. I disagree with the last comment, but we all cant have the same taste.
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