I have black bamboo planted in two 25 gallon plastic pots buried in the ground with a couple of inches of the rim exposed.The plants are doing fine but I do keep an eye on them and water them as needed. It depends on a number of factors, but there is a good possibiltiy that your bamboo will break the terracotta pot in a few years, maybe sooner.

If it has a drainage hole, the rhizomes may grow out of it and travel pretty far before surfacing. Also, the plant may become rootbound in a pot, and it may be hard to get it out of the pot without breaking it. I don't bother with barriers; I just rhizome prune once a year; the rhizomes stay closer to the surface if they are growing naturally.

Thanks for the responses, Flourboy and Kudzu.

Rhizome pruning would be okay with me, but since I don't know how long I'll be living in this house, I hate to plant something that can be invasive that a future owner may not take care of (my yard abuts a conservation area).

So, maybe the 2 plastic pot idea then? I only want a small amount of the bamboo, so just a little bit in a roomy pot might work?

I'm just looking for a little bit of height in a layering planting and the black bamboo looks so attractive.