Hi,
Our concrete driveway is next to our northern neighbor's fence which is not quite tall enough for my taste so I'd like to grow some bamboo in containers next to the fence as a screen. How deep of a container would I need to grow bamboo successfully? Any materials I should avoid?
TIA,
Sardo
Without knowing where on Earth you are it is pretty difficult to say.
Try here
Travis, thanks for that. I meant to say that I am in the Seattle area (too!). I didn't see much about growing bamboo in containers at the site you referred me to. I did run into one that suggested 18" to 24" deep containers which they consider shallow. Also, with 2" of styrofoam lining but this was for New Jersey so perhaps around here a 1/2" of cedar is enough? This was at
certainly not tall enough to add more privacy height to an existing privacy fence... without knowing what height you're speaking of all anyone can offer is wild speculation. Were it me I would plant something directly into the ground but bamboo is far too invasive... there are plenty of evergreens that would work well, Canadian hemlock and American arborvitae come to mind, but I'd not rule out planting some grape vines. Grapes grow well in Oregon, are simple to grow, can be easily trained to most any configuration and they leaf out early in spring and hold their leaves late into fall, and offer perfect screening... not to mention the grapes. One vine every ten feet will offer an impenetable screen, a grape trellis is very easy to erect and costs very little (some inexpensive pressure treated landscape ties for posts, a spool of galvanized wire, and a box of galvanized stapes... and you won't need to wait long, grapes grow at least as fast as bamboo, probably faster. Grape vines cost very little and by the second year you will be fully screened... grape leaves are very edible too, dolmas are delicious.
Here is the grape arbor I erected for privacy at my last house, Long Island, NY.... actually the chain link fence was mine but since there I had only a small yard I decided not to box myself in with more of that cedar privacy fence I used street side. Here I used pressure treated slats for cross members but were I to do it again I'd use galvanized wire. Sorry but I don't have a picture on my PC with the grapes leafed out. In these pictures it's very early spring (my dwarf sour cherry had just blossomed, wish I could have taken it) the vines are just budding out, within two weeks the arbor would be fully covered ten feet high and you'd see absolutely nothing through it but it permits the breezes to pass, and attracts lovely birds, and was far more relaxing to look at than any fence. Grapes make a lovely living fence.
1, The containers will expose the rhizomes to cooler winter temperatures than if they were in the ground, perhaps 2 full growing zones less hardy 2, eventually to maintain robust growth you will need to root prune or divide the plants 3 most of the clumping types are from the Himmalays and will not tolerate a hot summer's sunny exposure..
Read up on Fargesia genus which are now produced comercially by tissue culture and if your exposure will alow consider planting directly in the ground, they are clumping types and won't run all over creation.
I'm in Seattle as well and have bamboo growing in a pot 14" deep and 12" across. It's a plain fiberglass pot with one drain hole in the bottom. I put in about 2" of packing peanuts and then covered them with a couple of coffee filters before adding the potting soil. It sits in the corner of an uncovered, 3rd floor, SW facing balcony so it gets full sun all day. I've had this in the same pot for 5 years now and it's doing fine. I foliar feed it twice a month with liquid kelp starting in April and on through to mid August. I can't remember the name of it now, it has black canes and chartreuse leaves. I get about 3-4 new shoot a year and it's about 10-12 feet tall. You'll have to keep a close eye on it for water if you keep it in a pot. If the leaves start to cup it means it needs a good drink. Depending on the weather and temperature I water mine anywhere from once a week to once day.
I also have creeping silver thyme in the pot that covers the entire soil surface and spills over the sides of the pot and looks very pretty and they seem to be quite happy sharing the same container. It drops only a few leaves during the winter but other than that it's been pest free and a no problem plant for me.
Val
Ask here
No, they're deciduous.
Sheldon expounded:
Ummm......that's what deciduous means. The leaves drop for the winter.
Does he mean all the way or just a little bit? That reminds me, I got some Cimmeron cookies today. I don't mean cinnamon cookies. These are made with completely different "ingreedimints".
- Billy Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (welcome back Charkie)
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