make sure the bamboo is contained : most bamboos will spread if happy in a garden. Bamboo also drops a lot of leaf .

I was going to say the same thing...bamboos spreads. I know there are kinds or maybe just one kind that doesn't spread, but most of them will spread. Not only, that, but if you want to have any other plants in the area, they won't grow. Bamboos sucks the life of any other plant; they depletes the soil of the nutrients. My mom had a problem with bamboos. She lined the area so the bamboos doesn't spread, but even with that, nothing would grow. Once she got rid off the bamboos, everything started doing well.

All bamboos are root based... Just take great care as Printesa says .... I too have been involved in removing excessive bamboo spread in gardens by so `called clump forming bamboos` I never plant bamboo in the open ground without containment even if a so called clump former. Enjoy your project .

Does that mean you would definitely plant podacarpus instead of bamboo behind the seating area? Are there any other plants you recommend?

Bamboo is VERY invassive...be careful. Try some nice tall grasses, low maintanance and nice year round. Check out any of the gardening websites. You might try some climbers somewhere along your wall too...not sure where you live so hard to recommend plants but again, gardening web sites list plants that are good for every region. Enjoy.

I am not familiar with all the Podacarpus varieties, it is a plant which I am not an expert upon. It would also depend how you envisage the end product ... your garden vision. Many podacarpus are very large growing so it would be interesting to know how you were going to plant them. are you going to shape them , let them do their own thing. First I would decide on my long term vision or my clients , then I would decide what plants would give the effect, textures , colour I wanted, I would probably have a limited palette of plants which I would perhaps plant in sections or panels to frame the space & give layers. Example : section the bank into 2-3 panels , left to right & chose 2-3 plant species/ of one variety and plant the sections with one as appropriate. I have only looked at your images briefly & not sure which country you are in... I will take a closer look.

One thing I would do is keep the space simple, simple spaces are peaceful and I feel the size & scale needs to be simple.

I live in socal snd am going for a contemporary look. I want to soften the space while creating privacy from the second story of my neighbor's house.

you could try scarlet peak hollies or Italian cypress also. Tree form cherry laurel (Bright and Tight ) would also work.

I love Podocarpus! It's a little gawky looking at first, but, they fill in to create interesting textures and low maintenance in an evergreen, which will always hide that wall. Bamboo will loose their leaves in the winter and the wall will be seen through the branches. I'm not sure where you are and what your exposure is, so be sure to select a variety that is suitable. Some are hardier, prefer shade, etc.

I' not familiar with podocarpus, but I looked it up and I see that there are many kinds (some small, some with softer leaves, some large, etc). It looks nice. Another tree that I like is the Norfolk pine. In South Cal might work, even though the climate is not humid.

If you live in a warm temperate climate, I agree that you need to be very careful if you plant bamboo - although I love them and have about 20 species in my own garden with about 500 plants! The best "clumping" (pachymorph) bamboo would be a Fargesia which won't grow too tall. You should plant them in containers that go down at least 1m and have good drainage.Each spring you need to diligently cut out the old "shoots" usually from the center. By doing this, you give space for the plant to grow and it is not forced to spread outwards (although it does have an eventual diameter). I love fargesias, they are lush, have pretty green leaves, and lovely stems. They do indeed have a lot of leaf and other schmutz falling... but I find they are worth it. IF you go the bamboo route!

If you're in the right zone, you could go with "Sky Pencil" Japanese Holly. It's a tall columnar plant with smallish leaves like a boxwood. Plus, it's versatile. It can be pruned to a one-foot diameter.

I love podacarpus yew, not a fan of most bamboo, and have seen neighbors buy "clumping bamboo" that turned into invasive bamboo. You might try visiting with your neighborhood Ag Extension office on native plantings with the characteristics you'd like to have...probably drought resistant, low water, soft foliage and rapid growth rate. Here in Florida, I'd suggest fireweed or red cocoplum. But you're not in my zone... by a long shot.

Oh, and please don't plant Norfolk pine. It's on the ban list in my community. Messy, inhibits other growth, brittle, messy, and not native.