bamboo for outdoor screen help

18 years ago

Greetings all:

We've just bought a house in Brooklyn with a wrecked garage behind it. After we renovate the house, it's unlikely we will have the money to rebuild it, and anyway, it's growing on us :-)

We have a friend who's a well-known feng shui consultant, and he suggested we 'screen' the wall using bamboo. We were thinking of getting wood planters in front of the wall and planting the bamboo in the planters. From some cursory research, it is obvious that this subject is not that simple, so I wonder if you can help!

First, a photo of the garage...

http://www.pbase.com/dentontay/image/91313464

It gets sun maybe four hours a day, and of course it can get cold in NYC sometimes. So, I guess ideally we want a fast-growing variant that will remain in the planters, and that can resist cold.

Any suggestions as to what kind and where to get it? Or is the whole idea crazy?

TIA,

Denton

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Comments (4)

joefalco
18 years ago
I'm not designer but couldn't you screen off that area but leave a "door" opening where you could walk back there and have kind of a court yard?

I'm not sure of the type of bamboo for NYC though, sorry I'm no help there.
denton
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi Joe:

Yes, that's what we have in mind, but the bamboo would be up against the back wall.

Denton
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User
18 years ago
Denton,
YES, YES, YES!
It will look gorgeous!
You can even grow a couple different types of running bamboo on the walls and it will look awsome!
Use wood long boxes, wood will insulate the bamboo in the winter. Make them longer than deep, they don't need deep boxes at all.
Just go online in the spring and order some cold hardy running bamboo, but just oof hand I know Gold will look nice and there is a green cold hardy also, (can't remember the name) You can grow at least 2 varities.
That is going to be a real nice courtyard when you are done.
Just remember to keep them well watered in the summer, concrete can get real hot for plants.
Good Luck!
michigan_bamboo
18 years ago
There are about 4 Types Bamboo you that will work well in your Climate. All of them are Phyllostachys P. bissettii, P. aureosulcata, P. nuda and P. aureosulcata f. Spectabilis which is the only one with yellow canes. As for finding Bamboo for sale in your area you can go to the www.americanbamboo.org. There is a species source list on there site were you can find a nursery in New York.

Jim
mibamboo.com