Putting up a privacy fence is a great way to make your backyard more private and beautiful. Since bamboo is one of the plants that grows the fastest, it is a great choice for making a living fence or screen. There are over 1000 species of bamboo, though, so it can be hard to choose the right one for your needs.
In this comprehensive guide. we’ll cover everything you need to know about choosing the best bamboo varieties for privacy fences including
Why Use Bamboo for Privacy Fences
There are many advantages to using bamboo for your privacy fencing:
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Fast growth: Bamboo can grow several feet a year, quickly making a tall wall of leaves that are hard to see through. You’ll have peace and quiet in just a few seasons thanks to this fast growth.
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Dense foliage: Bamboo’s closely spaced stems make a solid wall that blocks views and muffles noise. Many bamboo species have dense growth from top to bottom.
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Evergreen – Unlike some plants that lose leaves seasonally, bamboo stays green and leafy all year long. You’ll have year-round privacy.
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Low maintenance – Once established, bamboo is quite carefree and doesn’t need much ongoing maintenance. The plants are self-mulching as old stems decay.
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Strength – Bamboo is very resilient, bending rather than breaking. It withstands high winds better than wood or vinyl privacy fencing.
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Aesthetic appeal – With its exotic, natural beauty, bamboo makes an attractive backdrop that enhances your landscape.
Key Considerations When Selecting Bamboo
To choose the ideal bamboo variety or varieties for your privacy fencing project, keep these factors in mind:
Growth Habit
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Clumping bamboo grows in compact, tidy clumps that expand slowly. Clumping bamboo is great for privacy fences because it is easy to keep in place and doesn’t spread out.
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Running bamboo spreads aggressively via underground rhizomes. Running bamboo requires containment to prevent unwanted spread into lawns and gardens.
Mature Height
- Select bamboo that will grow tall enough to meet your privacy needs. Heights range from 4 feet for dwarfs up to 50+ feet for giant timber bamboos.
Density
- Densely packed stems ensure maximum privacy. Look for bamboos like Oldhamii and Alphonse Karr that have very compact growth.
Cold Hardiness
- Match the bamboo to your climate. Cold hardy varieties can tolerate temperatures down to -15°F, while others need milder weather.
Sunlight Tolerance
- Some bamboos like full sun while others prefer part shade. Choose one suitable to the sunlight levels in your yard.
Top Species for Privacy Fences
Here are some excellent bamboo species to consider for living privacy fences:
Oldhamii
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This dense, upright clumping bamboo grows 35-45 feet tall. The tight internodes create a solid wall and it thrives in sun or part shade.
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Extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures down to -10°F. An excellent choice for colder climates.
Alphonse Karr
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A fast growing clumping bamboo that reaches 40 feet tall with a bushy, dense form. Handles full sun exposure well.
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Tolerates cold down to 0°F. Quickly forms a tall, opaque hedge.
Bambusa Multiplex Alphonse Karr
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This very tall, clumping bamboo has bright green culms with random yellow stripes. Grows quickly to 40 feet.
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Extremely dense, bushy growth habit provides maximum privacy. Cold hardy to 15°F.
Gracilis
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Also called Slender Weaver, this tidy clumping bamboo grows 20-30 feet tall in narrow upright clumps perfect for tight spaces.
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Handles cold to 0°F. Sways in the wind but stays dense. Does well in sun or shade.
Fargesia
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Clumping bamboos like Fargesia Jiuzhaigou are cold hardy to -15°F and spread slowly in tight clumps up to 15-20 feet tall.
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Provide good density for privacy screens. Require little care and maintenance once established.
Chusquea Culeou
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A durable clumping bamboo that tolerates wind, salt spray, and cold to 5°F. Grows up to 15 feet tall.
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Makes a nice medium height hedge with open but decent privacy. Thrives in partly shady areas.
Bambusa Oldhamii
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This taller running bamboo can be contained and forms an ultra-dense, dark green hedge up to 40 feet tall.
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Provide incredible privacy but do require occasional root pruning and monitoring to prevent unwanted spread.
Caring for Bamboo Privacy Fences
Proper selection is the first step, but you’ll also need to care for your bamboo in the years after planting. Here are some tips:
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Water 1-2 times per week until plants are established, then as needed. Bamboo prefers consistently moist (but not soggy) soil.
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Apply a balanced organic fertilizer annually in early spring to fuel fast growth.
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Prune away old stems every 1-2 years to encourage new dense shoots. Cut canes back near ground level.
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For running bamboo, monitor for new shoots outside planting area and remove promptly. You can also install rhizome barrier around perimeter.
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Occasionally check for pests like spider mites and diseases. Take action promptly if issues occur.
Transform Your Yard with a Bamboo Privacy Fence
With the right selection and care, bamboo can create a living privacy fence or enclosure that transforms your outdoor spaces. Say goodbye to noisy neighbors and unsightly views! A bamboo hedge provides beauty, seclusion and serenity so you can enjoy your yard.
Hopefully this guide gives you a great starting point for choosing and growing bamboo privacy fencing. Let us know if you have any other questions!
GRACILIS IS A CLUMPING NON – INVASIVE BAMBOO
So why the attraction to Gracilis over other Bamboo varieties? I mean, there are over 1500 varieties of bamboo.
First of all, Gracilis is a clumping bamboo which is considered as non-invasive. This means it grows in a tight clump and doesn’t spread out like the running bamboo types that have a bad name for bamboo in general.
Some names for Gracilis are Slender Weaver and Slender Weaver Bamboo. This is the most popular type of bamboo for privacy, and for good reason:
- Gracilis grows where most other plants have problems. Instead of the feared runner bamboo, the non-invasive bamboo is a type that grows in clumps in a bed that is only 50 cm wide.
- Because it grows straight up, Gracilis, a plant that gives you vertical privacy, doesn’t take up much room in your lovely garden.
- The thin weavers will block out bright sunlight from neighbors in 18 months, or they can hide an unsightly sight if planted in one of our 200mm pots and their roots are well-developed.
- Gracilis Hardy and tolerates cold temperatures down to -12 degrees.
- Gracilis Free of pests and diseases.
- Besides that, it can block wind and noise and stop erosion.
- Gracilis: It can grow up to 6 meters tall, but this depends on the conditions. Its diameter and height can be controlled during growth.
- Gracilis forms a very dense hedge and is compact.
- Everything about it looks nice all year, which makes it ornamental.
- It produces many new shoots during the growing season (October-April).
- Want to get 30% more oxygen with your privacy bamboo?
- Would you like some shade in a warm garden in the suburbs?
Privacy bamboo plant (Slender Weavers, the non-invasive variety) has many more benefits. But the above arguments should convince even the most misunderstood bamboo detractors.
THE RAPID GROWTH RATE IS ONE OF ITS MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Straight, thin-walled, and robust. Beautiful straight bamboo that forms a very dense clump.
This species is excellent for shading. Planted 1 m apart, it forms a continuous, dense ‘bamboo wall’ within three years. They can also be planted further apart (for example, 1. 5 or 2 meters between plants) and make a big shade screen. The leaves at the top will still make a full shade screen even if there are separate clumps at the base. They should be planted at least 0. 5m from the fence unless some root barrier is used to prevent them from growing under the fence.
The size of the plant will vary greatly depending on the circumstances. If planted close together (for example, 1 m apart) or in more unfavorable conditions, it will usually only grow to 6 m.
There is no exact rule as to how far apart the plants should be, as this depends a lot on the look you want and your budget.
For more extensive beds (for example, at least 1m wide), we generally recommend 1m spacing if you want the clumps to grow together at the bottom. If you space them further apart (1.5 or even 2 m), you will still have full coverage at the top, but there will be gaps between the clumps at ground level.
Bamboo tends to grow a little slower in very narrow garden beds since the root space is limited. To achieve excellent, even ground coverage, you can plant between 0.5 and 1 m. The closer you plant them together, the less time it takes to achieve full coverage (the clumps are close together). Therefore, it is a matter of budget and how long you are willing to wait.
- Quickly blocks out ugly views—it can be screened in quickly, whether it’s a Telstra Tower or a color-bond fence.
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- The outside air conditioner can cool your garden by up to 8 degrees in the summer.
- It can be grown in garden beds, pots, or troughs. If grown in pots or troughs, it needs a little more care, but it can be done.
- Plant in Narrow Widths: Slender Weavers can grow in a space as small as 50 cm and still reach 5 meters or more.
- Beautiful natural privacy screen—it is legal to have a beautiful living fence made of evergreens. Try doing that with any fence material.
- Gracilis is a beautiful feature plant that looks stunning when lit up. It looks great along a driveway, walkway, or around the pool.
- The fastest way to get privacy because it grows the fastest on land. If you plant our Gracilis Bamboo 200mm pots, you will have a great screen in 18 months if the weather is good and you give it the right amount of food and water.
- Forms very tight clumps around the base and doesn’t get too crowded there. The base diameter can grow to 1 to 1 5 meters. A few tricks we can show you can also make it work.
- Shallow Root System That Doesn’t Get In The Way—The roots are only about 30 to 40 cm deep.
- Blocks Out A Two-Story Window Well – Nothing is worse than losing your privacy and having someone look into your yard and house.
- It is graceful and looks good in any garden, even a native garden. Gracilis is a lovely plant that can be used in any style of garden.
- Even though the shoots can be eaten, they need to be cooked well. However, if you want to eat bamboo shoots, Oldhamii is a much better choice.
- Free Tomato Stake Poles: Don’t spend money at the hardware and garden store. You’ll have enough to give to family and friends.
- It’s a great choice for hedging or screening, and different people like different levels of trim on their bamboo. A culm (stem) will stay at the same height after you cut it off.
- Great as windbreaks and noise barriers—Do you live on a busy street or next door to noisy kids? The bushy, dense clumps of mature Slender Weaver Bamboo will block out noise.
- It can handle drought once it’s established. Gracilis likes water, but it can handle drought once it’s established.
- It Is Pest And Disease Free
- Very Good For Soil Stability And Erosion—Good for making soil stable and stopping soil erosion.
Gracilis bamboo is the superior bamboo for screening. No other plant will grow a screen faster than bamboo.
Bamboo gracilis(slender weavers) will grow fast in many situations and most environments, even in a narrow bed up against a fence with only a few hours of sunlight a day. They will still grow to a favorable height faster than any other plants.
Suppose you want a bamboo Gracilis privacy screen or hedge to grow at high speed; you plant in spring and put 90 percent of your effort into preparing the soil and plant in full sun and feed a slow-release fertilizer high in nitrogen and irrigate and mulch well.
Seabreeze Bamboo Bambusa Malingensis The Best Privacy Bamboo
FAQ
What is the best bamboo for a privacy fence?
The best bamboo varieties for privacy screens include Seabreeze Bamboo, Scottish Bamboo, and Blue Chungii.
What is the fastest growing bamboo for privacy?
Clumping bamboo grows extremely fast and can provide excellent screening within a short time. Your lot size should determine the number of bamboo trees to plant. However, make sure the trees are well spaced, preferably three to five feet apart.
What is the best bamboo for tall screening?
Bamboos such as Indocalamus and Sasa will create low screens with large tropical looking leaves. For taller more architectural hedges and screens the Phyllostachys species are the best choice, however some of these may require a root barrier depending on where they are to be planted.
What are the disadvantages of a bamboo fence?
Bamboo is susceptible to weather conditions and insect infestations, posing challenges for its maintenance and longevity.Nov 28, 2023