I want to grow a bamboo hedge in front of a fence for privacy to about 12
foot high, evergreen and not invasive.
What would you recommend?

In article , Jan
] writes
I want to grow a bamboo hedge in front of a fence for privacy to about
12 foot high, evergreen and not invasive.
What would you recommend?

Is bamboo the best plant for this?
--
Chris

"Jan" wrote ...
I want to grow a bamboo hedge in front of a fence for privacy to about 12
foot high, evergreen and not invasive.
What would you recommend?

Choosing something other than Bamboo! They are all invasive given the right
conditions, it's only a few years since a lot of peoples so called "clump
forming bamboo" went berserk. Happened to a neighbour (and his neighbour...)
:-(

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Jan" wrote ...
I want to grow a bamboo hedge in front of a fence for privacy to about 12
foot high, evergreen and not invasive.
What would you recommend?

Choosing something other than Bamboo! They are all invasive given the
right conditions, it's only a few years since a lot of peoples so called
"clump forming bamboo" went berserk. Happened to a neighbour (and his
neighbour...) :-(

Blame global warming - a number of UK "clump formers" are notorious
"invasive runners" in the southern USA as I and others discovered in our
very hot summer a few years ago!

pk

In article , Bob Hobden
writes
"Jan" wrote ...
I want to grow a bamboo hedge in front of a fence for privacy to about 12
foot high, evergreen and not invasive.
What would you recommend?

Choosing something other than Bamboo! They are all invasive given the right
conditions, it's only a few years since a lot of peoples so called "clump
forming bamboo" went berserk. Happened to a neighbour (and his neighbour...)
:-(

What would be a good alternative?
--
Chris

I think most Bamboo's are very invasive (was researching this as thought about putting some in my garden), the garden behind us (with a public alleyway in between the gardens) has bamboo and recently it popped up in my garden, both my neighbours and god know where else!!

My friend has some lovely ornamental grasses in front of her house which are tall provide privacy but also allow dappled sunlight in too. They look lovely all year round (frosty mornings, sun etc etc). Couldn't tell you what types atm but could find out this weekend?

In article ,
says...

I think most Bamboo's are very invasive (was researching this as thought
about putting some in my garden), the garden behind us (with a public
alleyway in between the gardens) has bamboo and recently it popped up
in my garden, both my neighbours and god know where else!!

My friend has some lovely ornamental grasses in front of her house
which are tall provide privacy but also allow dappled sunlight in too.
They look lovely all year round (frosty mornings, sun etc etc).
Couldn't tell you what types atm but could find out this weekend?





You can use bamboo but realy would be advised to build two concrete block
walls about 3 feet apart down the length of the boundrey making a box
that goes at least 18" down and 9" up, I have a friend who has done this
and the resulting bamboo hedge does look good and needs no cutting,
however given the work and expense I would much rather have a wall! it
takes up less space and you can grow so much stuff on a wall - even north
facing walls are usefull. If you want a hedge chose something that can be
cut back hard and regrow.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

A Fargesia or Thamnocalamus. Check out websites of specialist growers such as uk-bamboos.co.uk, panglobal plants, jungle giants, for specific species and characteristics. Though the last named of these is one of the guilty ones in mislabelling as clumper, they are a good supplier and otherwise have good descriptions.

Although Bob says that all so-called "clumpers" run, this is due to widespread misdescription. True clumpers, properly described, don't run, they are incapable of it. Though of course a clumper's clump might be bigger than you expected. Fargesia species and Thamnocalamus species are the main true clumpers you can grow in Britain. They won't run. Borinda species are another group, but their clumps can be quite large, and they are generally expensive plants for specialists. There is a wide range of lovely Fargesias, in a variety of culm colours (but not yellow). But if you buy the popular F nitida make sure it is post-flowering generation. Some of the Fargesias are a bit lax, so maybe Thamnocalamus may do you better, though they don't like too exposed a location.

Phyllostachys spp, on the other hand, many of which is commonly sold as "clumping," will generally run. One of my so-called well-behaved Phyllostachys was caught running before it had been in the ground a year. The excuse the suppliers generally provide for calling them clumping in UK conditions is the suggestion is that they only do a "bit of easily controlled running", unlike the truly uncontrollable invasive ones.

The other solution is proper containment within a rhizome barrier. If you install a proper barrier, then a running bamboo may do you, and you probably won't need to buy as many initial plants as it will run into the gaps, if you wait a few years.

"mztrouble" wrote in message
...

I think most Bamboo's are very invasive (was researching this as thought
about putting some in my garden), the garden behind us (with a public
alleyway in between the gardens) has bamboo and recently it popped up
in my garden, both my neighbours and god know where else!!

My friend has some lovely ornamental grasses in front of her house
which are tall provide privacy but also allow dappled sunlight in too.
They look lovely all year round (frosty mornings, sun etc etc).
Couldn't tell you what types atm but could find out this weekend?


That sounds useful. Did you manage to find out?
BTW I should have mentioned that it is a clay soil.