Another view:

FYI, our property line extends beyond the white fence, as the house next door was built right on the line. (We wouldn't plant anything right against the house, of course).

Needless to say, the house next door isn't exactly pleasant to look at. Also, its occupants don't have curtains in any of their windows which gives us views we would rather not have. Accordingly, my goal is a tall visual barrier that will hopefully also block some sound. Here are my hopes:

- conifer trees so the barrier will be effective year-round
- something that gets at least two stories high
- something that will do okay with some shade
- columnar shape is probably a must if it's going to fit
- relatively fast growing, if at all possible ;)

The gravel path in the photo can be removed to accommodate plantings if need be.

I was thinking a thuja hedge, but this area is not in full sun. Would thuja be a good choice, or would something else work better? Any ideas or thoughts on this or other types of tall visual barriers would be excellent! :)

not really an area for a tree .. IMHO

ken

ps: yeah.. yeah.. conifers are trees .. but i am ruling out other trees ..

Frank

Another idea is to put in a fence and/or use a some trellis and vines.

Another good choice is a clumping bamboo - many Fargesia species are fully hardy to zone 6. They tend to grow fast, can be quite tall and are pretty much evergreen. And compared to a running bamboo (the Phyllostachys mentioned previously), they are very well behaved.

A fence, if allowed, is a good choice too but most places will not allow you to build a fence high enough to provide much privacy screening -- certainly not one that is 2 stories tall!!

None of the hardy clumpers for zone 6 are tall enough to make a two story hedge. Running bamboos are actually quite easy to control, I have over a dozen different species planted here in sunurban Dallas.

In addition, it'd be the cheapest option over any other plant, only need to plant one and it will eventually cover any area one wishes to grow. When a running bamboo shoots each spring, any errant culms can be simply kicked over with one's foot. The bamboo species I mention would be the fastest and cheapest way to accomplish the goal of privacy. Faster and cheaper than any tree, why would someone want to wait ten years for privacy?

One other nice thing about bamboo is that the emerging shoots are edible, delicious, and high in protein. You need to get the bamboo bug, Grandma, of dozens of species of trees and plants, it is by far the most fascinating plant I've grow.

Sincerely,
Michael

Anyways, I encourage everyone on this forum to reexamine one's possible preconceptions about bamboo. Bamboo is aggressive, but not invasive, millions of asians have been using it as an architectural feature, a food source, and a supply of building material, for thousands of years.

Bamboo in the garden has a very soothing effect for some reason, and many visitors comment on this. Every morning I go out into the garden with a cup of coffee, and basque in the serenity, it makes my day!

Sincerely.
Michael

And I am rather familiar with bamboo :-) The running forms are not nearly as easy to maintain as you allude to and in my area, can be serious pests if not carefully and frequently monitored.

Michael

I grew this double row myself from cuttings in 2007.

Frank

Love from Indianapolis
(what the freaky-beaky is going on w/ the mud slinging here?)
Andrea

If my neighbor planted some when it escaped i to my yard I would go retrieve him and force him to remove it and restore my property.

I guess the Asians are just having riots in the street over the issue! They must know something we don't, hmmmm...

Hmmm, how to explain. Zoysia grass. The previous owners put some Zoysia plugs in. The invasive stuff is replacing the rest of my lawn. It is also spreading to my neighbors yards. Thank goodness neither seems concerned.

Bamboo. You mentioned cutting the runners.

I propose a proper analogy is if you plant either non-native you should have to sign a contract to properly maintain it within its boundaries for your life and leave enough money for its removal when you are gone.

Not a big deal to promise if you think bamboo is easily maintained.

I think what you are saying is reasonable, but I know of no state that lists bamboo as invasive, though I could be wrong, it's the one grass that when it goes to seed, it dies out, for the most part. It takes several years, if at all, for it to reestablish.

It's aggrssive, but since it doesn't spread seed, technically it's not invasive, and native trees and plants keep it in check. Otherwise, the whole damn world would have been taken over with bamboo by now, it being the most prolific co2 uptaker on the planet. A yard is not native, it's an artificial construct never seen in nature, and that's what freaks people out. A yard is what people are talking about, when they say it is taking over.

The main problem with bamboo is people. Our culture is not familiar with it like in Asia, it's mysterious so it scares people. But bamboo husbandry is not rocket science once you've grown it for awhile.

To make control easier when I die, I'm currently building a four inch wide ditch along the property line. Roots run deep, but rhizomes stay near the surface. Any rhizomes crossing the ditch, even if they make it all the way across and into the neighbors property, if cut once or twice a year, will die at the periphery.

The visibility from the ditch will make it easier for the next owner in about thirty years to either decide to keep it, or get rid of it. I show all of my neighbors what I do, and how I do it, in case heaven forbid if I die in a car accident or something, I want them to understand how bamboo grows.

I have the bamboo in a hedge in a raised bed that is three hundred feet long and three to nine feet wide. The bamboo for the most part stays in the bed but just in case, I'm taking this extra step in case I do die earlier than my expected lifetime. In my neighborhood, nobody moves out it's that type of neighborhood. Every one of my surrounding neighbors plans to live out life at their current address.

There are other ways to control bamboo. When the shoots emerge in the spring they are very tender, and by simply kicking them over, they will die on the spot. Barriers can also be installed. Rhizomes tend to stay in the top eight inches or so of soil, there's not enough oxygen much deeper than that. Most people in the plant business, do not understand how bamboo grows, and they repeat what they've heard. I don't have a problem with people who downgrade it, but knowledge is knowledge, and facts are facts, to pretend otherwise is analogous to hearsay, in the court of god's green earth.

Viva Mi Amigo

My only association with it was seeing the DC Metro crews and their heavy equipment periodically deal with a large patch that jumped a homeowner's fence, was growing down the embankment, encroaching on the Red Line tracks.

Some of you will note, too, that the OP wants something that grows tall - two stories, if at all possible. Actually eventually blocking out the neighbor. A trellis or fence with vines won't do it.

I thought this thread was supposed to die. Oh well, I suppose as an advocate, it's my job to explain the enthusiasm, and bamboo growth habit.

Bamboo shoots, like clockwork, emerge the same time every year in the spring. For a few weeks. That's it.

Incidentally, for the rest of the year, the plant accumulates energy in the form of starch. Similar to a potato in texture and taste, bamboo shoots contain about 18% protenin.

If one were to be creative, one's "stomping efforts" can be richly rewarded, by removing the shoots and taking them down to the asian markets, and selling them to the merchants.

I'm pretty sure that the folks in DC have a vested interest in staying in the dark over how bamboo grows. Bamboo can be dealt a near fatal blow, by cutting it down immediately after the culms reach full size, about six weeks after shooting.

This is when the plant is vulnerable becuase it has completely exhausted it's energy supply. Can anybody say, "overtime, baby", I'm sure the workers love it.

Any further critiques, I wouldn't mind answering, I'm hoping that Idabean realizes that it is meant in good faith. :)

Regards

Hi, Botann, could you please share what species you are growing? I'm growing some floppy, as well as some very ridgid species. Also, why not come on board if you haven't already onto the American Bamnboo Society's website? Maybe you inherited your bamboo? I'd be glad to get rid of it for you, if you were anywhere nearby.

To the OP, glad to see you've been listening in! It seems like sometimes, someone asks a question, and you never hear from them again. It probably gets pretty cold up where you live at, my reasoining for growing bamboo originally was for some long needed privacy, stepping into my backyard, you'd sware you were mo longer in the suburbs. It's a jungle out there, but it's our jungle. Ahh, paradise...

Regards

Here's some P. aurea next to my driveway. The picture was taken last Fall.

I planted a row of 7 large Arborvitae 'Emerald Green' (same as Emerald I guess) about 2 feet from side property line. Supposedly this cultivar doesn't grow nearly as tall or wide as the species and tolerates a little shade, which was perfect. Planted them in a zig zag because there was plenty of room (1.25 acre lot) and I don't like plants lined up like soldiers. Paid a pretty penny for 6-8 foot plants for instant privacy. My kitchen sink window looks straight into the busiest part of the neighbors back yard and I did not enjoy seeing them.

Supposedly Emerald Green only grows about 3-4 feet wide ultimately, so you can grow them reasonably close to the property line. If you have room you could maybe add additional plantings or a trellis in front of them.

Check this out, we have a juvenile of this, planted in the front yard (suburban Dallas area).

You ever heard of "singing to the choir". That's for groupies, besides, over at the bamboo forum is a continusous loop of the same basic questions from newbies, over and over and over...

I have made the point previously that bamboo is native to North America already, and settlers have largely cut it down for agricultural purposes. As mother nature originally intended, bamboo would be in much greater mass here in North America naturally, without this interference in the ecosystem...

Like I was saying, I'd be happy to answer any critiques, but that was yesterday, and today is today, my friend...

Interstingly, bamboo is a forest plant, and lives and cooperates amongst the trees. They are best buddies. And at times, undistinguishable at a distance, to the untrained eye...

Regards,
A Tree Hugger and Bambusero