Just wanted to add-- I was thinking maybe some of that pampas grass would be useful-- Does anyone know how much that grows in one summer?

I've seen people grow Bamboo in containers. You may want to look into that.

good luck!

that will work if you can find somewhere and get permission to dig it. it's hard to dig (see boo forum) , and for that reason, it's expensive to buy plants, especially large enough ones to screen with. they do fine in containers for a while, but you'll have to trim to the top to about 10' to transport them, and sometimes they stress a little the first year.

if you are in the raleigh area, you could run down to broadwell's and get some reasonably priced big trees and put them in huge pots (or cover/decorate the ones they're in). or, you could construct a trellis (in pots even) and grow fast vines to provide privacy. moonflower, morning glories, cup & saucer, etc. that's probably the cheapest solution. best of luck! tammy

I'm in Charlotte. But I did see some pampas in pots at homedepot for $11 I think it was--they had just a few though, so probably are gone.

I've got morning glories and moon flower seeds started, also thurnbergia and nasturtium vine-- I think it will be a combination of thing to achieve my goal.

If I were buying this house I'd know just what to do--its trying to do it 'moveable' that is challenging to me--I"ve never tried to grow moveable shrubs or trees before. Although I do have some azalea and camelia in pots now--which are doing well. They are small though. M

Mary, don't forget that pampas uses up a huge area and you don't want to brush against it because the fronds are serrated edged.
I think a span of trellis set between three or four big pots with your vines planted in the pots will do the job.
It also gets your vine screen up higher sooner.
Only down side to using pots is you have to water them by hand and also make sure you have more than one drainage hole. We get some serious gully washers that can drown potted plants in short order if they don't have decent drainage.
Be sure to give the trellis some tie downs or posts into the ground so winds won't turn the trellis and pots over.
I'd place the pots on a cement block pad to level and also keep grass from having to be trimmed away from the pots.
If you set stout posts into the pots and through the (enlarged) drain holes into the ground, then attach a trellis between the posts, you can plant the vines and also plant the pots with some annual color.
Another post onto the trellis between the pots should help the screen from falling over in the wind.

Pampas does have sharp edges. There are some other more friendly grasses that are soft to the touch and very tall.

There is a clump bamboo (bambusa or fargesia) that will work for a few years. Pot bound is okay for bamboo.

Arborvitae would work -- evergreen, tall, narrow.
Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire'
sun height: 12.0 ft width: 4.0 ft water: average zones 3-7 well drained soils
Narrow, columnar form. Spirally arranged dark green foliage bronzing in the winter.

Thuja occidentalis 'Yellow Ribbon'
sun/part sun height: 10.0 ft width: 3.0 ft water: average zones 3-7 well drained soils
Narrow growth habit and golden yellow new growth.

A pyramid or obelisk trellis with vines such as akebia or crossvine will fill in pretty quickly.

There are roses available in tree form if you get enough sunlight. The shrub roses (Knock-out) require less sunshine.

There is a small weeping redbud or a small corkscrew willow that will work if you don't mind the water needs.

Anything in pots will need much more water than it would planted in-ground. A layer of mulch over the top of the potting soil will help.

I would try to feel the edge of a mature leaf of any of the bigger grasses before I planted one in a pot - some of them will give you pretty good cuts, pampas among them. I wouldn't try to use them in pots next to a patio.

Another shrub to consider is butterfly bush. They get cut back hard in the late winter/early spring, and aren't evergreen, but they make huge growth over the summer, can be cut to whatever size or shape you want, and will produce flowers for most of the summer, into the fall. They come in all the blue/purple colors, as well as white, pink and yellow, and are scented. And, they shouldn't be expensive - I have friends who have given me a number over the years! If you can make it to one of the plant swaps - coming up soon - you should be able to get some - you don't HAVE to have plants to swap - and you do have your started vine seeds so maybe a few of them are spare?

Any of the smaller conifers would do well in pots, although I am not sure how much screening power they would have - they don't grow fast. BUT, they would make great accents for a trellis, planted in big pots at the corners, etc., although they may be pricey.

If it were me, I would put up a trellis, either digging the posts into the ground - double check with your land-lord - he might want to keep it after all, and might pay for materials. If not, you can either anchor it with biggish pots half filled with cement (filling the rest with potting soil, and plants, making holes in the side above the cement for drainage), or with brackets that you drive into the ground - I've not used them, only seen ads for them so am not sure whether or how they would work, but as a starting point... You could make a narrowish bed for planting annual vines along the bottom, or just plant the annual vines in pots too, and grow them along the trellis. If you wanted, you could also grow more perennial vines in pots - roses, clematis, etc., etc. and have the trees and shrubs as accents along the edges and corners. This may also run into more money than your budget can stand this year..., but, as perennials, you can take them with you when you move.

For less expensive pots -try places like Garden Ridge, etc., and get the cheap foam and/or plastic ones. They will maybe need anchoring, although with potting soil and plants in them, they get heavy fast.

Thank you all so much!~ So many good ideas. And by the way--I should have read these posts before I went and got my pampas grass--Its not the only thing I"m going to try--but I did go buy one. In the store I managed to get a really good cut from one of the leaves-- like a deep papercut. So I had to get a bandaid at customer service.

So--I'm thinking I will wear some tough gloves next time I handle that critter!

thanks all--I hope I can make some plant swaps--dunno if there are more in the charlotte area, I had to work yesterday so I missed that one.

Mary

Sorry you missed it Mary. Watch the exchanges forum in Sept. We're going to try to do a fall swap at the same location either late Sept or sometime in October. Preferably October. September is still just too hot.

Oh good! I should actually have some trades by then. Alot of my seed starts look like they are taking off now, almost big enough to hold their own in the beds. :)

I had better luck here with seeds than I ever did in the north, this truly is a gardeners paradise. Mary t