Bamboo as privacy border on road?

12 years ago

Hi everyone! We just bought our home and are finally getting into the process of fixing up the yard. One of the huge issues we have is that we are RIGHT on the road, so we have no privacy (there is currently a little white picket fence). A privacy fence is an expense we aren't able to afford right now.

My husband looooves bamboo. He keeps saying we should just plant clumping (not running!) bamboo along the outside of the fence to add privacy. The city regularly mows 4 feet from the road but that leaves another 4-6 feet that we could potentially allow bamboo spreading. We would probably have to trim inside the fence regularly to keep it from taking over the yard, but I'm still leery. Would this work?

I can't figure out how to include images to this post, but here is a link showing you what I'm talking about (you may have to copy/past, apparently I can't post actual links either): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24446235/Bamboo%20fence%20line.png

IF you think this is feasible, what bamboo would you recommend? We need something that is cold hardy to zone 5 (gets below freezing some winters) but also heat resistant to temps over 100, and in direct sun. This area gets NO shade! Well, maybe an hour or two in the morning but that's it!

All I know about bamboo is that it spreads quickly and grows quickly. So if you think this is a terrible idea, please let me know! Hubby is really pushing it but I've heard stories about how quickly it spreads so I'm kinda worried to try it.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

kentuck_8b
12 years ago
If you are in the St. Louis area, and zone 5, doesn't it get way below freezing each Winter? Maybe even below zero?

This will help us give you an idea of which bamboo you can use for your needs.

There are several clumpers that will do well if your temps only drop below freezing or even into the upper teens.

Kt
usacutie81
Original Author
12 years ago
We are actually zone 6 in St louis. Someone told me to buy for zone 5 just in case? Anyway, the temp can very occasionally get down to 20 in the winter, but normally it remains in the 30's. I even did a quick search on our local averages to be sure. Does that help?
Related Discussions
Need more privacy from my mixed border
Q
Comments (12)
I totally agree with MBright - I was going to suggest mock orange, lilac, pheasantberry (leycesteria), ninebark (physocarpus), elderberries (sambucus)... and other tall arching but deciduous shrubs. If you totally want evergreen I'd also suggest mixing in some of the tall coniferous varieties - upright junipers, thujas, or maybe hemlocks, and others of the types used for hedging. My preference is for a mixed, layered approach rather than a hedge, but if a hedge works for you, why not use that? For seasonal coverage, don't discount the value of tall perennials. If you can grow things like delphiniums, cimicifugas (name change to actea), Kiregeshoma koreana, thalictrums, and others that are escaping me at the moment, they can provide some screening too. Finally, regarding sharp holly leaves... if that's a busy street, you probably don't want the kids cavorting around those bushes anyhow, and sharp leaves would give you an additional reason to dissuade them. KarinL
...See More
What kind of bamboo or other trees can I use to create privacy?
Q
Comments (4)
If you're in Clear Lake area go to Maas Nursery (maasnursery.com) he has a good bamboo page on his site. You can LOOK at the bamboo there and get some expert advice, but he is WAYWAYWAY overpriced (e.g. $249 for a 3gal phyl. nigra). Also there used to be a really good bamboo nursery in Pasadena at 2525 Genoa Red Bluff Road...but I drove by there (quickly) about a month ago and thought I saw it closed/gone, need to check. If you are anywhere near Houston and really want to see some nice bamboo, you need to head to Mercer Arboretum in Humble, especially during one of their "events". I have been VERY Happy with nice full hedge from Bambusa Multiplex Alphonse Karr here in Clear Lake area. I have a similar issue where I wanted to block back of neighbor's home from "peeking" into my pool; 5 x 5gal Alphonse Karr (from that Pasadena grove I mentioned $50/ea...plus he threw in a FREE 3gal. phyl nigra) and a year later I have 10-12 ft shoots this year and once they fill out = mission accomplished...hoping for 15-20 ft next year!?!?! We had relatively hard freeze (25 oF..brrr) in 2011 winter here and the A.K. grove in Pasadena had some burnt leaves near the top but was filling in nicely again when we purchased divisions.
...See More
Need suggestions for privacy / shrubs / hedge
Q
Comments (13)
As much as I like tea olive (_Osmanthus fragrans_), I would not recommend its use as a privacy screen in a full-sun, exposed location in Western North Carolina, halfway between Asheville and Charlotte. In recent years, we've had comparatively warm winters in this part of the Southeast; but there's bound to be a future winter in which _Osmanthus fragrans_ will be badly burned or killed to the ground by cold temperatures. It is, indeed, a fine plant and one to be enjoyed in a sheltered location; but at some point it will prove unreliable in a harsh, unforgiving exposed Piedmont location. Don't consider using it as a hedge unless you want to see it decimated. If you take a look at _The Southern Living Garden Book_ or similar books, you will find that there are several _Osmanthus_ varieties that are much hardier than _Osmanthus fragrans_. Like _Osmanthus fragrans_, they are evergreen with fragrant fall/winter flowers. These hardier strains of _Osmanthus_ would be more likely to have longterm success in a Western North Carolina landscape than the more tender _Osmanthus fragrans_. However, one wants his/her _Osmanthus fragrans_ to be near a frequenty trodden pathway or near a window where its fragrance can be enjoyed. Planting tea olive out in a hedge along the roadside would be a waste of its many attributes. Leyland cypress is an abomination. Avoid it like the plague. _Eleagnus pungens_ or _Eleagnus pungens fruitlandii_ would be a superb choice, requiring no maintenance and providing food for our songbirds. These species of _Eleagnus_ are not the Russian olive you're thinking about. A spectacular choice would be golden bamboo or black bamboo. I have a grove of golden bamboo on one side of my house and a grove of black bamboo on the other side. They provide a lush, evergreen, Oriental appearance and an abundance of privacy. Your roadway would serve as a "bamboo containment wall" on one side. Just let the bamboo colonize freely on the other side, creating a natural effect.
...See More
Zone 7(b) Clumping Bamboo Suggestion For Road Screen Needed
Q
Comments (6)
You're expecting too much from a clumping bamboo hedge (or even a running bamboo hedge), I'm afraid. First, bamboo is not going to provide much if any noise reduction from road traffic regardless of whether it's clumping or running. I grow about 80 varieties of bamboo and the ones that form hedges simply don't buffer the sound noticeably. Maybe if you had a hedge that was 50' deep you would get some sound reduction, but not enough to warrant the cost. Second, to simply get a visual privacy barrier with clumpers would also be quite expensive because clumping bamboo does not spread quickly, and only expands a bit every year. That means to have a barrier now -- rather than 10-15 years in the future -- you would to plant rather large clumpers very close together, probably in a couple of rows. I wish I could be more encouraging, but I would hate to see you spend tens of thousands of dollars on bamboo and have unrealistic expectations.
...See More
kentuck_8b
12 years ago
There are several Bambusas that will do well in 20F temps, and they are all clumpers so you will have no problem keeping them under control and they all do very well in temps over 100F.

However, I am in zone 8b and it gets down into the teens every Winter so I am concerned about your actual zone.

How tall of a barrier are you looking for?

Kt
usacutie81
Original Author
12 years ago
As tall as possible since the pool is kind of up on a hill. If it gets too tall tho, it might get close to the utility lines and the city will trim them.
kudzu9
12 years ago
I agree with Kentuck...something doesn't add up with the Zone info. I'm in Zone 8 and it gets into the teens here every year for a few days at least. I checked the Zones for St. Louis and it is indeed Zone 6, which mean temps would be expected to go down to around zero F at times during the winter. When it comes to Zone hardiness, averages mean nothing: hardiness is based on the lowest temperature reached in any 24 hour period. There are few Bambusas that will survive going below 20F, and they will get culm and leaf damage above that. Before the OP buys anything, it's important to get the temperature issue resolved.
usacutie81
Original Author
12 years ago
Ok you guy are right! I did some more research and found some books on Missouri gardening. Apparently I live right on the edge of the zone 5/6 border, which is why different maps give me different zones. And the hardiness temp is -5 to -10 degrees. It hasn't gotten that cold since I've moved here, but I guess that doesn't matter. :/

So do you think I should tell hubby that we need to shelve the bamboo idea since it gets so cold here?
matt-walker
12 years ago
This guy is in St Louis http://www.itsnotworkitsgardening.com/ Read some of his posts about the many bamboo types he is growing.

Here is a link that might be useful: itsnotworkitsgardening
usacutie81
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh wow, Matt, thanks so much! I'm going to email that guy right now and get his advice. His site has a TON on growing bamboo in the area!

Bamboo as privacy border on road?

Comments (8)

kentuck_8b

usacutie81
Original Author

Related Discussions

kentuck_8b

usacutie81
Original Author

kudzu9

usacutie81
Original Author

matt-walker

usacutie81
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Bamboo as privacy border on road?

Comments (8)

kentuck_8b

usacutie81Original Author

Related Discussions

kentuck_8b

usacutie81Original Author

kudzu9

usacutie81Original Author

matt-walker

usacutie81Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

usacutie81
Original Author

usacutie81
Original Author

usacutie81
Original Author

usacutie81
Original Author