Bamboo for Screening and for Hedging
One of the most revered ‘woods’ in Chinese culture, bamboo has been robustly embraced by garden designers in the UK for the creation of contemporary gardens and Japanese style gardens. It has proved especially useful in urban gardens where space is at a premium and the bonus is that bamboo creates a very elegant solution to so many screening problems. In this post we look at which bamboo is best for differing screening and hedging requirements. We also have a small selection of Living Bamboo Screens which offer Instant Privacy & come as a package ready to plant.
Bamboo or Bambuseae is an evergreen, perennial and a member of the grass family. Fast growing, they take up very little lateral space and yet they can reach fabulous heights extremely quickly, making bamboo a very cost effective choice when you need screening fast!
The toughness and resilience of these plants is belied by their beautiful stems and delicately shaped almost reed-like leaves. They provide a strong vertical line in the garden’s design and as they sway gently in the breeze create a relaxing and soothing mood. Here at Paramount Plants we have selected an extensive range of bamboos to fulfill the many different requirements of contemporary garden design. See our full range of bamboo plants here…
Medium Sized Bamboo for Hedging
Fargesia Murielae grows to a max height of 4m with a max width of 2.5m is an extremely dense variety, a perfect bamboo for screening or for hedging. Known as Umbrella Bamboo, this originates from China and will tolerate sun and wind and will also grow well in partial shade, forming a dense elegant hedge.
Fargesia Murielae has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Fargesia Murielae Rufa is a beautiful elegant bamboo with bright green stems and leaves and pale pink sheaths, very densely growing up to 2.5m in height with a width of 1.5m. Upright and arching, this variety of bamboo makes a beautiful screen and hedge.
Left: Fargesia Murielae | Right Fargesia Murielae Rufa
Non-invasive, tall and narrow Bamboo For Screening
Fargesia Robusta Campbell commonly known as Campbell Bamboo also originates from China. It is a vigorous growing bamboo yet not invasive, this is the perfect choice if you want fast screening with a narrow planting area. Campbell’s Bamboo is dense and upright reaching heights of 4.5m with only 1.5m width, it has strong and robust green stems with bright green leaves. Campbell’s Bamboo prefers full sun but will also tolerate partial shade.
Phyllostachys Aureosulcata commonly known as Yellow Groove Bamboo – is another screening gem from China. This variety can be used in the more shaded areas and our specimens are already circa 2.2m high. The lovely lemon yellow coloured stems of this variety become more pronounced when subjected to sunshine, they become almost orange in colour. The tall, lush, dense growth is perfect for screening purposes.
Phyllostachys Aureosulcata Golden Groove Bamboo – Bamboo for Screening
Phyllostachys Humilis or Scottish Bamboo
While this is one of the shortest of the Phyllostachys bamboo, it has shoots all the way down to the ground with little or no clear stem. It also has lush evergreen foliage that grows thick and dense. Scottish Bamboo is very tolerant of pruning. These characteristics make it an ideal bamboo for screening.
Phyllostachys Atrovaginata or Incense Bamboo has thick green culms. It is a fast and vigorous upright grower and is very hardy. This is an excellent bamboo for screening for those in a hurry and in exposed locations. It is capable of heights of up to 8 metres in just a few years.
With this bamboo, use a Bamboo Barrier to easily keep its growth in check.
Narihira Bamboo (Latin Name Semiarundinaria Fastuosa) is a very tall (up to 6 metres), slim and non-running non-invasive bamboo. We have mature specimens in stock standing at 4 metres tall. Once again, this bamboo is ideal for evergreen screening.
