We seem to get a lot of people looking to put bamboo in pots here. But unfortunately large bamboos and small pots don't mix. I'm not sure why you want clumping if it's in a pot. That shouldn't matter since you are containing it.

Phyllostachys Aurea (golden bamboo) would probably be just the right size and is a great screening bamboo. But only in the ground. In a pot they are going to get rootbound and look ugly and really struggle. You'd have to take them out and divide them every year or two. Which is not going to be easy on ceramic pots. And if they are smaller at the top would be impossible.

A smaller bamboo maybe getting 6-10 feet might be ok possibly for pots. Or at least better off. But that doesn't sound like it would be tall enough.

Is there any way you could plant them in the ground and use a bamboo barrier? Or even a planter that is 2 feet tall, and the entire length you need could be quite effective and keep the bamboo healthier. You could also buy a really long metal stock tank (6-8 feet long each). That would give it a lot more room and might fare better. At least slow down the dividing time if it ended up getting cramped.

I agree with tcameronk. Bamboo will simply not get to the height you want in those pots. In addition, how long are you willing to wait for a screen as high as you want? If you plant bamboo in the ground, which will be the best chance of vigorous growth, it might take 5 years for a 10' high plant to double in height; but, if you buy plants that are the height you want to end up with, those will be expensive plants. You also have to decide what kind of spacing you want. If you buy clumping bamboo, you won't need barrier, but spaces between plants will take longer to fill in than with running bamboo. I'm not trying to discourage you, because in-ground bamboo will ultimately make a nice screen...however, it won't be an instant solution.

kudzu and tcameronk !thank you! both for helping me to realize it would be irresponsible of me to try and grow something that tall in pots. it doesn't need to be an instant screen, we can wait for it to grow in.

i spoke with a nursery who suggested Seabreeze bamboo (bambusa malingensis). (we do get some ocean air here) they said since it was in a pot it would only grow to about 10' overall. and also suggested one 3 gallon plant (avg 4' tall) per pot since i wasn't in a hurry for it to be full grown straight away.

what do you all think? if i lower my height to 10' is this now a reasonable plan?

its hard to just plant it in the ground after buying these beautiful big blue pots for bamboo, but i may let the idea go, put the bamboo in the ground, and some trailing vegetables and fruits in the pots.

10 feet or so is more doable. But not that one.

Bambusa Malengensis grows to about 35 feet. Putting it in a pot is not going to make it happy. If it only stays 10 feet it's going to be because it very unhealthy and starved from the tight space and wont look good. Plus clumping bamboos exert a tremendous amount of force. I bet it would eventually crack those pots. If you've ever seen bamboo that has stayed in it's nursery pot to long you'll see it split the pot right down the sides. That's if you keep it in only one season to long. Here is a photo I found of this bamboo (on bambootexas.com). I don't think you're containing that in a pot. Plus clumpers like that fan out very wide at the top. It would be like a huge sail catching the wind. I'd imagine it would be blowing over in no time as it got bigger.

If you really want something in pots then you should try putting them in plastic containers and then setting the plastic containers inside the ceramic ones. That way a few years down the road you can take them out and divide them easy.

I really think you'd be happy with Phyllostachys aurea as a privacy hedge. It will grow tall pretty fast in a pot. A few years down the road if it looks distressed then divide it. Ultimately I think you'd be really happy with it in the ground though with a barrier (or a planter). There is nothing like being behind a well grown bamboo hedge. It's so peaceful and less anxiety from the neighbors. Hearing the sound of the leaves moving in the wind is calming. You can do a container and it will look great, just a little more work every two or three years. The bigger the container the less often you'll have to divide it.

This might work better for a container screen to though: Pseudosasa japonica

I don't know how long it takes to get tall though. But might be much happier in a pot.

There are probably a few others we can find.

tcameronk plastic pots inside ceramic is a great idea if we decide to move ahead with bamboo in pots! and now considering the two you named as well. thank you thank you thank you!