Bamboo/green screening

[Invader75]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have any tips on creating some bamboo or other green screening to run the full length of a wall (9metres). I understand bamboo roots are very aggressive but also grows quickly and quite attractive. 

 

Many thanks 

[Gone West]

Some types of bamboo are clump forming and there are less problems with the roots but the best types for screening do have very aggressive roots. Alternatives would be pyracantha or some types of cotoneaster which spread over the surface of the wall without damaging it.

[joe90]

I fancied bamboo but found it very expensive, I did plant poplars but am dissapointed with them being deciduous, I don’t want Leylandii so going to plant laurel which is the fastest non Leylandii .

[ProDave]

We planted a Laurel hedge at the last house.  Biggest horticultural disappointment ever.  After 10 years it has barely reached a metre high. On the plus side it barely ever needs trimming.  It must not like our soil or climate.

[newhome]

41 minutes ago, ProDave said:

We planted a Laurel hedge at the last house.  Biggest horticultural disappointment ever.  After 10 years it has barely reached a metre high. On the plus side it barely ever needs trimming.  It must not like our soil or climate.

 

Neighbours tried beech to start with - it died, then they planted about 100 laurels to make a hedge. Most have died or are weedy things. Neighbours the other side planted bamboo. They were delivered as huge plants in pots and I imagine that they cost a lot but 2 years later they are the same size but weedy looking. 

 

I wanted some plants that were evergreen and would grow a decent size to screen a wall and be relatively attractive, but they had to be wind tolerant. Someone on this forum recommended Griselinia so I bought a few last spring and they've done well here. I bought the variegated one but they come in a non variegated too. 

 

https://www.best4hedging.co.uk/griselinia-littoralis-hedge-plant-pp20

 

 

As an aside euonymus never grows here either. It either dies or literally never grows any bigger from when it is planted. 

[joe90]

I planted a laurel in my last garden and it grew like mad, here we are on clay with little top soil so I have to be careful. The poplars have grown about 15ft from 2ft slips in about 12months so they like the conditions, just not evergreen. The only real neighbour we have is at the bottom of our garden and they appear to be nocturnal (they leave lights on all night?)

[Gone West]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

  It must not like our soil or climate.

Probably both . We planted Cherry Laurels as a hedge at our last house and they grew from 18 inches to 8 feet in four to five years. They need a lot of cutting back to keep them tidy because they will grow to 15 feet. There is a variety of laurel that grows to only 3 or 4 feet called "otto luykens".

[TheMitchells]

There are plenty of bamboo varieties that would be suitable but they tend to be only aviailable from specialist suppliers.  The ones you get in the garden centres tend to be those that are invasive.  Bamboo root systems can be either clumping or running.  Avoid the running ones!  Phyllostachys is actually a runner but tends to clump form in our climate.  The best bamboos for smaller gardens include

Fargesia murielae 'Simba'  - this grows to 2.5m and spreads to about 1.2m but is a lovely shaped bamboo with orangish stems.  Can also be grown in a container.

Fargesia nitida. - Upright growing and good for exposed sites.  Purplish stems and dainty foliage.  Up to 3m and spreads around 1m.

Thamnocalamus crassinoidus 'Kew' - delicate, small leaves with stems which emerge powder-blue but age to red.  up to 4m and spread 1.5m.

All sizes are after about 10 years, so fairly slow.

 

Be careful of Pleiblastus as they can spread a lot.

And dont worry if they do not do much in the first couple of years.  Underground they will be getting established and then they will start growing well. 

 

Hope that helps.?

 

I'd also recomend Grisilinia - makes a readlly good hedge and is evergreen. 

[Jeremy Harris]

We have an accidental clump of bamboo.  It just appeared in the bank at the front of the house as a single shoot growing from the bare earth.  It's now established itself as a nice looking clump about 1.5m high and maybe a metre in diameter at the top, but only around 300mm diameter at the base, where all the new shoots come from.

 

I've no idea what variety it is, but we like it, so it will stay (as long as it continues to behave itself!).

[Invader75]

Thanks guys. Some great advice. Initially we were thinking of planters. The section we we're looking at runs behind the annexe we're building so there's that to consider. The back of the annexe doesn't have any windows so it won't suffer from any light blocking. It's more to create some screening from neighbours for us as we look out to down the garden. We'd like evergreen as we already have Acia's, large silver birch and large copper beach that shed. 

[Invader75]

As an alternative to using planters, I've seen some use root barriers like this. https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-stop-bamboos-roots-from

[newhome]

I actually have my griselinia in planters. They are just for decoration really to partially hide a wall. I didn’t want them growing wild so the planters will contain them and I now have the option to move them elsewhere if I feel that they don’t work in that position or I get bored of them ?. You could always start them in planters and put them in the ground when they are larger and you are sure that they are what you want. 

[joe90]

I used to grow mint at my last house and that is very invasive so I buried a plastic barrel In the ground which stopped any spread into the surrounding ground. 

[Invader75]

Hi folks. Just to resurrect this thread. Our annexe is now built and we're looking to screen the horrible concrete wall behind it and also add screening from neighbours now conifers have gone. The garden is on a slope and pretty moist in the area we want planting. We were thinking maybe some kind of drainage in front of the annexe running down the side to end up behind the annexe so something that loves moist conditions would be good. This is why I was initially thinking bamboo. 

[Ferdinand]

This is a giant clumping bamboo that was put in in iirc Spring 2014 or 2015.

 

It is planted in a former asparagus bed, and cost about £50 at the time.

 

The plan is to block those windows, and it has thickened massively and will reach about 10-12ft this summer. IN theory it reaches 5m or more.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Invader75]

Have you put any root barriers underneath?

[Ferdinand]

On 06/02/2019 at 10:45, Invader75 said:

Have you put any root barriers underneath?

 

No, but it is actually planted slightly above ground level in an old asparagus bed.

 

We are starting to get one  or two escapees now .. 4-5 years later.

 

At ground level I would put pavers vertically down to 18” and probably use a membrane to line them.

 

F

Edited April 5, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Invader75]

That's what I'm thinking. I know there are plastic membrane barriers on the market but not sure how effective they are. 

[K78]

I’m thinking of buying some bamboo tomorrow.

 

i want to block a gap in some trees that overlook my site( bamboo would be ideal), and create a instant 4m long hedge. 

 

Am I correct in thinking the clumping root varieties are non invasive and don’t require barriers etc?

 

If it is a issue I will use an alternative.  

[lizzie]

On 05/02/2019 at 12:30, Invader75 said:

Hi folks. Just to resurrect this thread. Our annexe is now built and we're looking to screen the horrible concrete wall behind it and also add screening from neighbours now conifers have gone. The garden is on a slope and pretty moist in the area we want planting. We were thinking maybe some kind of drainage in front of the annexe running down the side to end up behind the annexe so something that loves moist conditions would be good. This is why I was initially thinking bamboo. 

Got a photo of the area?

 

[Ferdinand]

On 31/03/2019 at 23:20, K78 said:

I’m thinking of buying some bamboo tomorrow.

 

i want to block a gap in some trees that overlook my site( bamboo would be ideal), and create a instant 4m long hedge. 

 

Am I correct in thinking the clumping root varieties are non invasive and don’t require barriers etc?

 

If it is a issue I will use an alternative.  

 

I am afraid that probably depends.

 

They are certainly LESS invasive, but I suspect that they can return to part of their savage nature like dogs presented with a flock of geese. I would probably put in a suitable barrier anyway if a small bamboo empire was a concern.

 

It will not be instant, though it will be quick for a hedge.

 

I love the concept of Voyeur Trees overlooking your site ... very Tolkien ?. A complaint to the Council would be interesting on that one.

 

F

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Jeremy Harris]

Our clump of bamboo has grown from a  single shoot that sprung up out of nowhere about 4 years ago.  It's being very well behaved, and just seems to be forming a solid clump, that's getting bigger but shows no sign at all of spreading outwards.  I've absolutely no idea what variety it is, but it's not ideal for screening as it doesn't seem to grow very high. it's in the centre of this photo, taken last summer, if anyone's interested, or wants to identify the variety.