privacy screen in extremely narrow space, any suggestion is welcome

I want a privacy screen between my neighbor's and my own backyards. Most of my backyard is covered with concrete (done by the previous owner of the house), and the only stripe of ground (about 20' long and 18" wide) available for planting is between the fence (6' high) and the concrete ground, now covered with gravel. I'm thinking of planting clumping bamboo along the fence but have following doubts
1. is it doable with such a narrow space? I'm thinking of root pruning the bamboo once a year to maintain its size (and I prefer the airy looking rather than a dense bamboo wall).
2. should I plant the bamboo in containers or directly on the ground? Someone in this forum mentioned in another post that even clumpers should be contained, but I prefer the ground planting for two reasons: a) it looks more tidy, for I have a very small backyard and afraid that a few large boxes will look too overwhelming b), it's cheaper, a few large cedar boxes will cost me a small fortune
3. if it is doable, which type of bamboo should I choose? the area in which I'm going to plant the bamboo gets many hours of sunlight every day (especially in the afternoon) and I want the screen to be around 10' high (at least 8').
Fargesia rufa can be found easily but the staff at the garden center told me that in BC, rufa only gets to about 6' (around 8' to 10' according to information on the web). any one has local experience with it?
fargesia robusta is another option but information from somewhere on the web says it will get to over 16', of course I can prune it to a shorter height but will maintaining the size of it be too overwhelming a job?
I also heard about Fargesia JiuzhaiGou, which, according to information on the web, offers the height i desire but won't tolerate too much afternoon sun
4. where can I buy bamboo plants in vancouver?
Thanks a lot for any suggestion!

 

Semiarundinaria fastuosa.

 

Thank you Ron for your quick response, won't this type of bamboo be too large-sized for such a narrow space (18")? I don't want the bamboo to eventually damage the cedar fence.

 

When I see a narrow, naturally vertical bamboo hedge here it is made up of that kind. That said, there used to be a cute little Fargesia hedge in front of a house on the right as one approached the UBC portion of Marine Drive from the east. Maybe it is still there, near the sidewalk - unless it flowered and died.

 

Would the typical "arbutus" hedge plant work here, with the trunk trimmed up to a more standard form?? I too have a very narrow spot between a fence and concrete sidewalk that I would like to plant such that my neighbour's sight line is blocked (we are having a problem with them watching our back yard and ummmm....commenting).

 

In such a situation the comments may continue the whole time you are waiting for the planting to grow up, if you are asking about Arbutus unedo you could be waiting some years for relief. Would be quicker to address the behavior in some other way, such as a well-timed and carefully worded reply - a guidebook on how to deal with other people might be more to the point than a new planting.

 

Absolutely. Alas that presupposes our neighbour is the sort who would take kindly to such a publication or the gift thereof. I have sympathy for the couple, who are very reactive...usually that comes from a history of being victimized in some way. And we have politely discouraged further comments. But it is hard to take a rational approach to irrational behaviours. I would simply like visual relief from the face glowering from behind the window...

 

I was talking about you finding a way to address their behavior in such a publication or other source of guidance, not you giving them something to read themselves. There is, of course a lot of such information out there, as people have been "having issues" forever.

Another problem with screening plantings right along fence-lines being relied upon for protection from overbearing neighbors is the offending party may become offended by the planting and reach over the fence, cut it down low enough that they can again see over onto your place.

Voice of experience here.

 

Yes, I am prepared for that! Thanks Ron, wish me luck!

 

I empathize regarding your problem, though I admit to finding a certain subtle hilarity in its presentation here. (That is no doubt in part because I have the luxury of being exempt from the problem.)

I doubt a bamboo screen will help very much, unfortunately. Physical barriers don't seem to work. I doubt whether a brick wall would work.

It depends on the nature or the subject of the commenting. A friend's friend recently bought a cute little place with a gravelled back yard, and I suggested creating a pond and planting thyme as ways of ameliorating the gravel effect. I was duly informed the gravel was considered an element of beauty and a reason for the purchase: the lady felt the gravel was a very pretty attribute.

(Hm: well, I decided maybe I'd best scrap all mention of the virtues of front-end loaders. So much for that birthday-present.)

One possibility—only intended as a maybe-maybe—would be a privacy fence, quite possibly with a pretty bower festooned with clematis or whatever—which did not extend along the entire boundary line. If this fence were built, say, from the very back of your property and came only about a quarter or a third of the way toward your house, it wouldn't look like a barrier at all.

At the same time, it would give you an (albeit limited) area of privacy. I did accomplish something like this a million years ago when we were young enough to enjoy all-over suntanning in our back yard. The trick turned out to be creating an area which was totally invisible to the neighbours, but which didn't appear to be "cut off" and therefore of any special interest.

In other words, psychological limitations might be more effective than physical limitations. Of course I just don't know. But if this is of any value to you, good. And good luck.

 

That is a much more elegant solution! We have the option of creating a small, private patio for the ground floor master bedroom, and could use that as an excuse to erect a structure that would also give privacy...trellised fence and vines etc. Much more expensive, of course.

At the end of things, you are right to suggest these neighbours will find something to be upset at no matter what they can or can't see. It is their nature, and how they try to keep their world manageable and safe.

 

I think I will just go with Fargesia Robusta. Now the question is: where to buy it (at a reasonable price)? I find it's hard to find any resource online, anybody has any clue?