I have Metake Bamboo, or it's sometimes called old fashioned hedge bamboo. It's at least 40 years old, been at the house longer then I have. I love it!

It's planted right along the sidewalk and that keeps it in a narrow growing area, it doesn't have any other kind of barrier on the other 3 sides. I head it back about once a year with a weed trimmer. It wants to grow into a longer length hedge instead of wider. The bamboo can reach 15 feet high, but I trim it once a year to about 5 feet. It stays full, evergreen, and beautiful. It does get the Bamboo mites, especially in the shadier areas, it doesn't seem to bother me or the bamboo much. I hardly water it, never fertilize, other that a once a year trim, it's really easy and gratifying.

To get a grove effect you have to plant runners - or multiple clumps. Even with clumps arranged to resemble a grove you cannot get the see-through appearance produced by running bamboos. Where a single clump is desired or space for spreading is limited a clumping bamboo is definitely superior. Some of these are quite pretty with their slender culms and small leaves, fountain bamboo and umbrella bamboo for instance.

I have 3 types of running bamboo, and yes you can control them by removing the new shoots that appear in unwanted places. Even better, water them during the summer to slow down the spread. And some bamboos are more aggressive than others. Our black bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra, is quite restrained. The Phyllostachys nuda, green bamboo, is a little more aggressive, and the yellow groove, Phyllostachys aureosuculata, is very aggressive. Thinning the culms also helps reduce the spreading.

I think you've got that backwards, watering promoting growth (including spreading).

Grant, I agree that an obsessive gardener needn't fear bamboo. "Bamboo horror stories" are the result of plantings that have been neglected for many years (or at least a couple of years) and been allowed to grow an extensive rhizome system without being checked. It's very easy to control the spread of running rhizomes if you don't mind having a narrow trench around your plant, and you can just chop off whatever grows into the trench. The barrier/concrete methods are really just more expensive variations on this concept that most people consider to be more appealing than a trench, but they can be less effective when they deflect rhizomes in such a way that they find an escape from the barrier. Controlling them by just removing the new shoots seems less ideal to me since you will still have the roots going everywhere, getting in the way and competing with your other plants, and producing more and more shoots every year pretty much any time the weather is warm enough. But it could be done.

Given the prevalence of bamboo mite in our region, I think my first consideration in choosing a species would be mite resistance. I'm hard pressed to think of any running bamboos that are very mite resistant (moso is said to have some resistance, I have read) - some clumpers seem resistant to bamboo mite.

Watering where you want the bamboo to grow and keeping the surrounding area dry can control the spread of running bamboos to some degree - but a lot depends on your soil.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies--appreciated as always. I'm glad those "bamboo horror stories" are from neglected or poorly maintained clumps. Thanks too for the design ideas about the different types, I'll keep that in mind. I love the look of bamboo and want some general privacy along one side of my back garden (the other two have arborvitae). The side in question is very sloped, weeps a lot in winter, but gets plenty of sun. I guess I need to think about any impact on the next door neighbor up the slope from me. I don't know how happy he'd be with shoots sneaking under our fence. Hmmmm...

Even if not for that area, I'll still get some runners (I'll go for the trench containment idea--thanks for confirming that it works). If there's a good Seattle area source feel free to share.

Thanks again. I'm excited about giving these a try.
Grant

If spreading is going to be a problem should it occur clumping bamboos should be planted. Curbing of spread with mowing or chopping stops as soon as person doing it stops doing it, possibly leaving a headache for someone else. I've seen an entire city lot in California infested with sprouting golden bamboo roots, the house had been removed and all the bamboo cut down, leaving a foundation and new, small culms - everywhere. It looked like that movie ('Creepshow', I think) sequence where a character played by Stephen King is overcome and covered by a green growth from outer space.

You're right of course, I was thinking the same thing. Well, not about the Stephen King part, but the part about possible headaches to others.

I'll keep the running bamboo in sections that are fully under my control and use clumpers along the property line. I'm excited to give both a try.

Thanks again,
Grant

Good luck. My only regret in planting bamboos was that I settled for ho-hum species instead of forking over the money for the best ornamental ones. Now, many of these are much more affordable than 6-7 years ago.

The problem I don't like to see, is where a man plants a grove or two, and passes away, leaving the maintenance headache for his wife who may be on a limited budget with no intent to relocated.

Othere than a few comparable problems like that, I tend to see more good than bad in the bamboo groves that recieve some maintenance.

What you don't want your place looking like the photo below?

I've got 10 different runners planted on mounds for several years now.. All the running rhizomes come out the sides of the mounds and are easy to clip off.. This last summer I decided to remove a "mound" of Arrow bamboo - I was able to just push it over with a small tractor..

Since the rhizomes are usually very near the surface, I have also "walked" a wandering rhizome back to the mother plant and hacked it off there..

My yellow groove is pretty aggressive too, but I think the Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda (Chinese walking stick) beats it hands down..

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Holy cow! That's a great-looking crop of slalom gates!

CUH Miller Library has annual new plants edition of 'American Nurseryman' out on the shelf. One is a Fargesia scabrida selection, photo used showed bright red culms. Description didn't say anything about redness, but if it does often look like that it could be highly desirable. There's a red-stemmed F. nitida already on the market here but it's not known where it fits in the F. nitida flowering cycle, plus it has tended to be about 80 dollars for a gallon pot.

It's the sheathes, not the culms. Total package still looks exciting - definitely going on my want list.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fargesia sp. 'Scabrida'

I mentioned...

Here is a link that might be useful: Fargesia sp. 'Jiuzhaigou' I

Great pic, farslayr, you're right that it's not quite the look I'm going for, but that is a lovely grove.

The Fargesia links are really nice. I love the red sheath one especially. Thanks for the link to Bamboo Gardens.

I need to go back to my last garden and see how that small timber bamboo I planted is doing....I wonder if they even kept it? The buyers sold to a new couple so it's already had two sets of subsequent owners.

Thanks again,
Grant

Bboys suggestions about the Scabrida and the Jiuzhaigou are good ones, just make sure they get some sun or the culms will not be red. Scabrida is just plain beautiful anyway! Amen to what farslayr said about the Tumidissinoda, I had ALL of mine removed and got paid for it!!!!! by another bamboo freak ;-D Has anyone ever had good luck growing a timber bamboo in half a days shade? It's been over ten years for mine and I am about ready to give up on it, especially after two snow falls this year!!!! Not pretty.

When you talk about a trench around bamboo to contain it, could you elaborate please? How wide, how deep? I have not planted any bamboo because I was afraid that it would get out of hand, but I have a place that is contained on 2 sides and would be relatively easy to trench the other two sides.

Hi dottyinduncan, For Phyllostachys, dig a trench 6-8 inches deep, 10-12 inches if you are overly paranoid. A shovel width is sufficient, wider if you wish. As the bamboo grows rhizome you will see them breaking ground/poking through into the trench. Simply cut them off before they re-enter the ground. Semiaurundinarias will usually run deeper so allow a few inches extra for them. A couple of real nice Phyllostachys that don't grow rhizomes as fast as some of the others are Phyllostachys viridis 'Robert Young' and 'Houzeau', both very attractive and both relatively slow runners (in our climate). Both have a long branching habit so allow adequate space. Moso would be another consideration as it is slow slow slow.

I've seen 'Robert Young' make some pretty fast moves in western Washington. And I'm not talking about the pinching of nurses.

Plant a clumper instead. Lots to choose from.

Here is a link that might be useful: BambooWeb - Bamboo Species List