Figure 1. Bambusa textilis 'Gracilis' (a.k.a. Graceful Weaver's Bamboo, Slender Weaver's Bamboo) growing for the purpose of privacy screening in a 3 foot wide by 27 foot long planting area. This bamboo is a small statured clumping bamboo and it is considered one of the premier bamboos for property line privacy screening.

Bamboo For Privacy Screening

Several cultivars of bamboo are widely used for privacy screening and visual screening to block unsightly views. People often seek out selected bamboos for these purposes because they can provide tall and dense screening in relatively narrow areas next to property lines while zoning regulations limit the height of property line fences and walls. Bamboo plants can be used for screening from neighboring properties with single or multistory structures or to provide screening from public right of ways.

Where to Start in Planning Your Bamboo Screening Design

There is no one kind of bamboo that is best for all screening scenarios. The preliminary factors that need to be considered when determining the best choice of bamboo cultivar are: 1) the length and width of the area available for bamboo canes to grow out of the ground or out of containers, and 2) the height range over which the screening is required (which is not necessarily the same as the height of the bamboo). When you are investigating your potential bamboo planting the first thing to do is measure the length and width of the area available for bamboo to grow. In many cases the length can be quickly determined if the area is next to a fence because fence panels are typically 8 feet long. In this scenario you can count the number of fence panels you want to plant next to and multiply that number by 8 feet per panel to arrive upon your length. The length is especially important when it comes to determining how many plants will be needed. To determine the available width, we recommend using a tape measure to determine the number of inches wide your bamboo growing area is. The width is especially important for selection of the bamboo cultivar you will use. Typically, you are going to want a minimum of 2 to 3 feet of width for your bamboo planting and more is better for several reasons. Bamboo can be grown in areas narrower than 2 feet although it becomes more challenging, especially if you are going to try to grow bamboo in an area that is less than 1 foot in width.

Considerations for Planting Clumping Bamboo Cultivars for Privacy Screening

Many people prefer to use clumping bamboo cultivars because they can be responsibly grown in the ground without the use of underground rhizome barrier. Rhizome barrier is typically only used for running bamboo varieties and there is some cost associated with the barrier itself and there is usually a large cost associated with installing rhizome barrier. For smaller statured clumping bamboos (defined herein as having the ability to grow 6 to 20 feet tall) we recommend the bamboo growing area be at least 3 feet wide and preferably wider. In a 3 foot wide growing area you can give each plant a 3 foot diameter circle of soil which is what we consider to be the functional minimum amount of space required. To achieve a complete screen of bamboo that you cannot see through above a solid 6 foot tall fence we recommend planting smaller statured clumping bamboos every 3 to 6 feet, center to center, along a line parallel to the fence and separated from the fence by at least 1.5 feet. This is one of the most common scenarios for property line privacy screening. For larger statured clumping bamboos (defined herein as having the ability to grow taller than 20 feet) we recommend the bamboo growing area be at least 4 feet wide and preferably wider. In a 4 foot wide growing area you can give each plant a 4 foot diameter circle of soil which is what we consider to be the functional minimum amount of space required for a larger statured clumping bamboo. To achieve a complete screen of bamboo that you cannot see through above a solid 6 foot tall fence we recommend planting larger statured clumping bamboos every 4 to 6 feet, center to center, along a line parallel to the fence and separated from the fence by at least 2 feet. Growing clumping bamboos in areas narrower than our recommended minimums results in more frequent, more difficult, and more expensive maintenance costs over the years to come (especially with regard to the process of rhizome pruning which is how the size of the footprint of a clumping bamboo is properly maintained). If you are giving your clumping bamboo plants a 3 foot wide growing area next to a fence you should plant the centers of the plants 1.5 feet away from the fence. If you are giving your clumping bamboo plants a 4 foot wide growing area next to a fence you should plant the centers of the plants 2 feet away from the fence. Please click here to go to our webpage with more information on our recommended Clumping Bamboo Cultivars for Privacy Screening.

Considerations for Planting Running Bamboo Cultivars for Privacy Screening

For bamboo growing areas that are less than 3 feet wide running bamboo cultivars are often the best choices because their growth habit enables them to conform to the shapes of a long narrow areas as in the cases of areas bounded by rhizome barrier or many kinds of containers (i.e. 8 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot planters). Commonly used containers for running bamboos include steel stock tanks, half wine barrel planters, and custom wood boxes. We recommend against customers with residential properties planting running bamboos in the ground without a barrier if they are planting near a property line. This scenario has played out in unsatisfactory manner countless times and often results in expensive bamboo removals and neighbors that are irate because unwanted bamboo spread under the fence and into their yards. In many cases the cost of running bamboo plants are a bit lower than the cost of clumping bamboo plants although when the additional costs associated with responsible planting of running bamboo are considered it is frequently easier and less expensive to get a bamboo planting project started with clumping bamboos. Please click here to go to our webpage with more information on our recommended Running Bamboo Cultivars for Privacy Screening.

Figure 2. Phyllostachys aurea 'Flavescens Inversa' growing for the purpose of privacy screening in half wine barrel planters. This bamboo is a small statured low branching running bamboo and it is one of the best running bamboos for privacy screening in containers or in-ground plantings with rhizome barrier.

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Figure 3. Phyllostachys aurea 'Koi' growing for the purpose of privacy screening inside an installation of fully enclosed rhizome barrier. This bamboo is a small statured low branching running bamboo and it is one of the best running bamboos for privacy screening in containers or in-ground plantings with rhizome barrier.