Welcome to SW FL! Sounds like you have a situation similar to mine, only on a larger scale. Go to ECHO in North Fort Myers and explore their bamboo section. There you will find varieties that will thrive. I don't think your runners will make it here. Plant ear leaf acacia seedlings on your property. This may be a controversial recommendation; they are considered an invasive species, and I understand why - they grow fast and strong. Nevertheless, with 5 treeless acres, you need canopy. Plant one or two oaks or mahoganies with each ear leaf acacias. That way, you can someday cut down the acacia, and have a high quality native in its place. Dalbergia Sissoo (rosewood) is also a good tree to plant for quick canopy, and I don't think its considered as invasive as the acacia. Also, there is a nitrogen fixing tree that I have never learned the name of - it has a jacaranda like appearance, with rust colored bark. It blooms pale yellow or cream colored mimosa-ish flowers. It too (like the acacia) is considered a "weed" tree, but it serves a purpose. It (like the acacia) stays green all year round and grows very quickly. Once you have some shade on your property, everything will grow better. Most of what we like to grow (big, pretty flowers, large interesting leaves, etc.) grows better with a little shade. Especially during the hottest parts of the day. The acacia and the other one (not the dalbergia so much) will also improve the quality of your soil with natural leaf litter. Welcome to zone 10!

Steve is right, running bamboo is a very dangeous plant. It runs in every direction except through water and will quickly become a problem for your neighbors. Neighbors have been known to get lawyers and bamboo growers have landed in court. There are any number of talls grasses that will provide screens and don't get quickly out of hand.

I'm adding to this thread because it seems like many folks who are posting comments here don't have a thorough background in the toxicity of a wide variety of home remodeling materials. Unless you buy your flooring (wood, bamboo, cork, etc.) from a well-known, long-running green housing material distributor, it is likely that your flooring is filled with toxic glues, sealers, and other chemicals that produce VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Bamboo in particular has a lot of glue because bamboo stalks are so thin (look at a bamboo cutting board to fully appreciate how much glue is needed). I have a MPH degree (Master of Public Health) and one of my areas of expertise is environmental health. I'm currently renovating a new condo apartment and for every material, I had to buy it from a specialty distributor that carefully vetted their product portfolio. The benefit of buying from green supply companies -- living in a healthy home. The challenge of purchasing green, healthy building materials -- cost. Green materials are more expensive. But, if you add up all the costs related to adverse health reactions and getting medical treatment to address them...then cheaper, less healthy building materials aren't so cheap, are they? A good place to start is Green Building Supply (based in Illinois, they have a great website), which ships all over the U.S. I bought cork flooring from them, they're great. Can't recommend them enough. They carry a wide array of building materials including safe paints, safe caulks and sealers, safe flooring, etc. If you want to get advice before a purchase, check out the website, 'My Chemical Free House.' Corinne is a building biologist and her site is filled with awesome tips for choosing safe and healthy building materials. Take good care & stay safe!

M- Okay. (long breath drawn in)... FIRST and foremost, has your local cabinet maker worked with bamboo before???If so, please go see his work in real life. (not just photos). If not, you might want to rethink this. With this kind of money, you do not want to be somebody's guinea pig. Next, he will probably order the bamboo panels from plyboo. www.plyboo.com On their site you will see the various choices, natural vs. amber color, edge grain vs. flat grain. jdayo and I have amber edge grain - i will post photos just as soon as i can get electrician out of my space! with flat grain you will see more of the bulky knots. With edge grain you will get a narrower grain and you will also get that really cool edge detail on the sides of your doors and drawer fronts. Also, make sure you have a very good carpenter to install. when you cut in to the bamboo (for trim, lightrail, etc) it can splinter really easily. you have do do it VERY carefully, very slowly, and with masking tape across to reduce any chance of splintering. i learned this the hard way. You also have to ask your installer to make sure that the grain matches up , say, if you have a set of three drawers on top of each other. they might not think of that. (notice to the left of jdayo's freezer). Rift cut oak is really pretty! Henrybuilt uses it as well as bamboo, and for some reason their bamboo cabs are cheaper! do a search on this site for "henrybuilt kitchen " - you'll see another similar bamboo look. one more thing, make sure your guy orders a big enough batch for you job, including unexpected extras. there is no color stain on the product, the amber is naturally carmelized, and you can end up with lighter or darker batches. GOOD LUCK! LC