Bamboo For Hedges And Screens

Bamboo creates a wonderful hedge or screen, unlike any other plant available on the market.  There’s a bamboo available for any situation you might have.  Whether its a short, 4′ hedge along a walk way, a 12′ screen between you and a neighbor, a 25′ sound barrier from a street, or a 50′ windbreak. You can shape it to a formal hedge, like a boxwood, it can be topiaried like a conifer or it can be left to grow as a natural, informal hedge.

Choosing the right bamboo for your hedge requires that you know what your growing conditions will be.  Is it in full sun or full shade or maybe just a little sun in the morning. Do you get temperatures below zero in the winter or is it hot and humid in the summer?  Maybe you live in a windy area, near the ocean.

When planning your hedge, keep in mind that it may take 5-10 years for bamboo to reach its ultimate size, if it does at all.  Colder climates will naturally keep bamboo from attaining its true size.  In general, we find that young bamboo plants will almost double in size each year for the first 3-5 years.  So a #1 size plant that is 2′ tall in the first year will be 3′- 4′ tall after its second year of growth, 6′-8′ its third year, 12′-16′ its fourth year.  Ideal growing conditions may help it to grow faster, colder conditions will slow down its growth.  An 8’x20′ space for a hedge will take 8-14 #1 size plants when planted at 3′-5′, o.c. and take 3-5 years to fill in.