Bamboo Screening Plants for Privacy

If you're looking for an effective way to boost privacy in your outdoor space, bamboo screening plants are an excellent choice. With their fast growth, upright growth habit, and lush green foliage, they offer an attractive and functional solution for creating a serene oasis in your garden or patio.

The Appeal of Bamboo

Bamboo has gained popularity in landscaping due to its numerous benefits. One of the most significant advantages is its rapid growth rate. Many bamboo species can grow several feet in just one growing season, making them ideal for those who want quick results. Unlike traditional hedges or trees, which can take years to establish, bamboo can provide immediate privacy and shade, transforming your space almost overnight.

Ideal for Privacy Screens

Bamboo's dense growth habit makes it a natural choice for privacy screens. The tall, slender canes create a vertical barrier that effectively blocks sightlines, allowing you to enjoy your outdoor area without feeling exposed. This is especially valuable for urban dwellers or those living in close quarters with neighbors. Whether you’re looking to shield a patio, pool area, or backyard, bamboo can serve as a beautiful and functional screen.

Cost-Effective Solution

When considering options for privacy screening, many homeowners lean towards traditional hedges or shrubs. However, advanced bamboo plants can often be purchased at a fraction of the cost of these conventional options. Investing in established bamboo not only provides instant privacy but also saves you money in the long run. While traditional screening plants might take years to reach their desired height and fullness, bamboo can be ready to go within just a few weeks.

Choosing the Right Bamboo Variety

When selecting bamboo for screening, it’s essential to choose the right varieties. Look for fast-growing, upright species that are known for their dense growth. Some popular options include:

  1. Gracilis or Slender Weavers
  2. Goldstripe
  3. Boniopsis
  4. Oldhamii
  5. Malay Dwarf Variegated

Growing Conditions and Maintenance

While bamboo is relatively easy to grow, it does require some attention to ensure optimal growth. Most bamboo varieties thrive in well-drained soil and prefer partial to full sun. Regular watering during the first growing season is crucial to establish strong roots. Afterward, bamboo can be quite drought-resistant, though consistent moisture will support vigorous growth.

It’s worth noting that, depending on growing conditions, bamboo can take several years to reach its maximum height. However, with proper care and maintenance, you can enjoy a thriving bamboo screen that enhances both the aesthetic and privacy of your outdoor space.

Bamboo screening plants are a stylish and effective solution for enhancing privacy in your garden or patio. Their rapid growth, cost-effectiveness, and low maintenance make them a fantastic addition to any outdoor setting. Whether you’re seeking to create a peaceful retreat or a vibrant garden atmosphere, bamboo can help you achieve your landscaping goals. With the right selection and care, your bamboo privacy screen can flourish, providing you with the serenity and seclusion you desire.

 

Hedging Bamboo Plants

The evergreen foliage of bamboo can be used to create an attractive hedge. As bamboo plants are fast growing, a hedge can be achieved faster than if more traditional hedging plants are used. Different clumping bamboos are available to achieve dwarf hedges, waist-high hedges or taller hedges/screens.

Bamboo plants can be cut to form a hedge like you would do for traditional hedging plants. This is best done after the new culms have grown to their full height in the spring/summer. Minor touch ups at other times of the year would be sufficient after this one major pruning.

Ornamental / Feature

Amongst our large selection of Bamboo there are many that perform well as standalone specimens or as a cluster of plants, to perfectly enhance that ‘spot’ in the garden. Their distinctive features make a bold statement or promote a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The way in which these beautiful ornamental Bamboos can be used is only limited by our imagination. Popularity with the use of clumping bamboo continues to increase in landscape design.

Windbreak / Noise Barrier

The thick foliage of bamboo not only provides great screens and hedges, but can also be great as a windbreak or noise barrier. This is a feature that is becoming more popular in areas where roads are becoming busier and natural bushland is being removed.

Many varieties of bamboo, either tall or short, are perfect as a fast growing windbreak around orchards. The extra benefit this creates is that of a spray drift and odour barrier.

Grow In Pot

If it is not possible to grow your bamboo in the ground, then there are a number of varieties that will suit being grown in pots or containers. It is important to not only select the correct variety for growing in a contained environment, but the correct container as well.

Bamboo grown in a container can achieve that tall straight screen or that nice bushy wind break/noise barrier, and is ideal for those balconies or patios with tight spaces.

The best varieties for growing in pots or containers are the smaller varieties. Please use our plant finder to identify the variety that will best suit your particular arrangement.

Tropicals

When it comes to transforming your garden into a lush tropical oasis, few plants are as iconic and captivating as palms. Like bamboo plants, palms offer a distinct backdrop of lush green foliage that are central to cultivating a tropical look garden. Their graceful fronds and captivating presence lend an exotic charm that instantly transports you to distant, balmy shores. 

We stock five distinctive, but common palm varieties: the Bamboo Palm, Kentia Palm, Cascade Palm, Foxtail Palm, and Parlour Palm. Here at Living Bamboo, we’ve decided to produce some of these species because they are great compliments to our bamboo varietals. 

  • The Bamboo Palm's sleek stems can interplay with the verticality of bamboo, forming an intricate layering effect. 
  • Kentia Palms, with their versatile growth patterns, can enhance the backdrop of a bamboo grove, creating depth and dimension. 
  • Meanwhile, the delicate fronds of the Cascade Palm offer an elegant contrast to the bold presence of bamboo, softening the overall aesthetic.
  • The Foxtail Palm's unique foliage can stand as a striking focal point against the bamboo's straight lines, adding texture and visual interest. 
  • Rhapis, also known as Lady Palm or Ground Rattan Cane is a small, attractive palm is native to southern China. It has a clumping habit with bamboo-like slender stems and light green, fan-shaped fronds that are deeply divided into finger-like segments
  • Lastly, the Parlour Palm's compact stature makes it an ideal companion for bamboo, particularly in smaller gardens or as an understory plant.