Can't recall the varieties but we have had a few different bamboo over the years. We've had a dwarf black-stemmed variant in a pot, buried in the ground. It eventually broke the plastic pot and sent runners out.
We had a taller variety in a area shuttered with corrugated steel and steel poles on one side and thick 2 ft paving slabs another side. It managed to form a very dense carpet with essentially no soil in it and push the shuttering and poles.
I heard that in Austria the law is that you must put in something like 2 meter deep stainless steel shuttering on borders to prevent runners annoying neighbours.
Best practice we found for containing bamboo is to take a reasonable sized strong container, plant it in that with compost and be prepared to take it out and split it with a spade every couple of years. Replant half of what you had before and discarding/giving away/making up other pots the rest. Put a slab underneath the container to prevent runners coming through. Make sure to keep well watered.
The fence is a state but it's tall. I pictured you exposed to their garden and them being able to see you over the fence or is it just the couple of bedroom windows that overlook you? I think you wouldn't be wise to try and plant anything next to the fence as it looks ready to collapse and they might blame you! I must admit i am struggling to see the privacy issue in your photo so please can you explain the problem better or post a few more photos ?
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We've had a dwarf black-stemmed variant in a pot, buried in the ground. It eventually broke the plastic pot and sent runners out.
We had a taller variety in a area shuttered with corrugated steel and steel poles on one side and thick 2 ft paving slabs another side. It managed to form a very dense carpet with essentially no soil in it and push the shuttering and poles.
I heard that in Austria the law is that you must put in something like 2 meter deep stainless steel shuttering on borders to prevent runners annoying neighbours.
Best practice we found for containing bamboo is to take a reasonable sized strong container, plant it in that with compost and be prepared to take it out and split it with a spade every couple of years. Replant half of what you had before and discarding/giving away/making up other pots the rest. Put a slab underneath the container to prevent runners coming through. Make sure to keep well watered.
The fence is a state but it's tall. I pictured you exposed to their garden and them being able to see you over the fence or is it just the couple of bedroom windows that overlook you?
I think you wouldn't be wise to try and plant anything next to the fence as it looks ready to collapse and they might blame you!
I must admit i am struggling to see the privacy issue in your photo so please can you explain the problem better or post a few more photos ?