Privacy plants/trees questions

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
I am tossing around the idea of planting some bamboo between my house and my neighbor's house to act as "privacy fence". Anyone have any experience with bamboo? How fast does it grow? Is it a PITA? Will it do what I am hoping it will do?
 
hehe, i though about, still thinking about.... for the same reasons. But ones you get it planted, there is it. Unless you throw chemicals down.
But the good effect it is super fast growing, and creates a wall about 10-15 foot high..
Don't do it if you like the neighbor...
 
My neighbor got rid of it. Involved dabbing Round-Up concentrate on the cut stalks with a paint brush.

It will take over.
 
Plant some Cryptomeria Radicans instead.
 
Agree w/ others. yep it'll grow super fast, and super tall. And be there forever.
It's like the Bermuda grass of plants!

Personally I think Forsythia bushes make an awesome hedge, once they've grown a couple of years they are super thick, and when they turn in the spring the colors look pretty awesome.
 
I'd do some type of evergreen tree similar to drkelly's suggestion - thuja green giant arborvitae, Leyland's, etc.
 
drkelly said:
Plant some Cryptomeria Radicans instead.
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That's what is between our yard and our neighbor on their property. They do a good job, until one of them dies or is taken out by ice/snow. Now I have a gap in the line and they put in an above ground pool RIGHT FAWKIN NEXT TO THE GAP! Then in the big snow last month, another one split in two and fell on my shed, crushing it. soooo, I'm not a fan of them right now.
 
Plant bamboo, and when it starts to get out of control, plant some kudzu.
 
I have heard there was a strain of bamboo that doesnt spread as bad.... I am very skeptical though. I would plant an evergreen, but those rascals can be crazy expensive. Plus you have to deal with worms afterwards.
 
drkelly said:
Plant some Cryptomeria Radicans instead.
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That's a good looking tree. Thanks for the idea.

mbalbritton said:
Then in the big snow last month, another one split in two and fell on my shed, crushing it. soooo, I'm not a fan of them right now.
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Anything that grows 3-4 feet a year isn't going to be very strong. But the good news is that it grows 3-4 feet a year. Just plant another one. ;)
 
How tall is the area (sightline) that youre trying to screen? Green Giant Arbs are good but if the sight line is not too tall you can even use Emerald Green Arborvitaes planted at 4' O/C. Don't use Leylands and IMO Cryptomeria grow too fat and drop too much crap. With any of the juniper and cypress you'll need to be on the watch for spidermites and cedar bagworms. Actually cedar trees are a great screen also.
 
That stuff is crap and very invasive and can take over you yard and your neighbor's yard.

Sometimes bamboo that isn't controlled can take over a neighbor's yard. This can be very costly for you as many species are noxious weeds and if you plant them, you can be forced to remove them and pay for damages to surrounding property, etc.

To plant it and control how it spreads, you really need a really thick hard barrier up to 3' deep surrounding the bamboo and especially adjacent to a neighbor's yard. Did I say it is really invasive?

If you want privacy I would plant something less invasive. Depending on where you live, maybe consider something evergreen and moderately growing like an oleander or even a wax myrtle. I like the wax myrtleas it grows fast and smells great and is a nice woody evergreen. Maybe look for some sort olive shrub. I like the autum olive but it's typically considered another invasive shrub as its originally from China and is causing some issues in some parts of the eastern US. At worst, use some privet!

Stay away from bamboo! You will likely regret it
 
Thanks for the info. There are currently white pines on this property line, and up until the last ten years or so, they did a good job of "privacy". Now that they have gotten tall, the limbs are snapping and falling onto my vehicles and the top out of one split and smashed my neighbors out door furniture. I am also tired of all the sap falling on my vehicles, so that is why I was thinking about bamboo. I have also thought about leland cypress etc. but falling trees would still be a problem, and I think some of those ever greens also drop berries and maybe sap.

Looks like I will stay away from the bamboo and figure out something else.
 
If you don't mind a little trimming every so often, vinca seems to be nice. We have a lot of it woven into our chain link fence and it naturalized the fence a lot and provides a great barrier for privacy. Left unattended, it can be mildly invasive so you need to tend to it periodically
 
Don't do the bamboo that will get out of control.....we put some 6ft tall Leland cypress trees at our place and like them a lot. 10 years later they are about 9ft tall.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Plant bamboo, and when it starts to get out of control, plant some kudzu.
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follow that up w/ some pumpkins.
The fight will be entertaining.
 
spraypaintman said:
Don't do the bamboo that will get out of control.....we put some 6ft tall Leland cypress trees at our place and like them a lot. 10 years later they are about 9ft tall.
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3' in 10 years??? That's uncharicteristic of a Leyland Cypress. They usually grow much much faster than that.

In high winds, the Leyland cypress can uproot. Be mindful of your usual direction of wind and what is around. I.e, I wouldn't plant a row of Leyland cypress as a barrier in the middle of a field as they will likely fall over in a good storm or high winds. If they are sheltered a little and out of the winds some, you should be good
 
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