Also, if if anyone has any pictures to share, I'd love to see them. The internet is full of random bamboo pictures, but I'm not seeing a lot for this type when mature.

Wind + USDA 8 may not be a winning combination for this plant. Check to see if there are other, long established plantings in your district before investing in this scheme.

Thanks, Embothrium. Yep, I have a couple of shrub choices that will do fine! I'm glad I asked. I was actually ready to go buy shrubs today, when my husband started researching bamboo choices and wondering if it would grow faster than shrubs.

There are several varieties of B. multiplex that might do well for you as they do here for me in 8b. The B. mult. 'silverstripe' leans outward and grows about 12 feet tall, but is dense up to 8 feet or more. Some of the others grow more upright such as 'Al Karr', so you could even plant them closer together to get a fuller screen more quickly. They are hardy here and survived the cold this past Winter when it got down into the upper teens twice with only minimal leaf burn, which has already regrown. I'm sure there are bamboo growers in your area that can suggest or show you plants that they have.