Hedge bamboo(B. Multiplex and some of it's varieties) might do in your area but it will be borderline top hardy in the Winter, but if it is in a protected area from cold winds and you can keep it watered well in Winter, it should do fine.

There are some Chusqueas and Fargesias that will do well also.

Kt

Jamey-
What kind of height are you looking for? Robusta can get pretty tall. It's a beautiful bamboo, but it is very upright, and the foliage is more toward the top If you want a screen, you might want to look at a clumper with more of a weeping habit or spread, like Fargesia dracocephala, which is also not as tall as robusta.

jamey-
My robusta is a division I got from a friend. He had a clump that was about 5' in diameter at the base and maybe up to 200 culms in this space. The culms were pretty uniform in height and diameter and were about 14' tall, but none of the foliage started until about 10' up, where it was very dense. It had probably been growing in this location for at least 10 years. Hopefully this info will help you decide on appropriateness of this species and spacing. You also have to remember the danger in planting a hedge of one bamboo species: if it flowers, you could lose the whole hedge and have to start over!

I, too, could use some help in this regard, as my now three year old scheme to plant golden bamboo in elevated containers is, mostly, coming to naught. Most of the plants did well for a year or so but have, by now, mostly petered out, etc. (fyi containers were insulated, mulched, etc.)

So, rather than containers, I'm now aiming to tear out a 2' wide strip of my cement patio, and plant some hearty bamboo into the ground, which, hopefully, will grown to at least 12ft high, concealing my rear-yard neighbors chain link fence and patio beyond, without running and sprouting in my next door neighbor's yard. I'm looking for the densest screen possible, with the year round beauty of bamboo. From perusing these posts, so far it seems like Bambusa multiplex is a good candidate. What about fargesica robusta? Any other suggestions? Any input appreciated. Thanks.

I need help too. Just bought a lot in FL z9b but have yet to build a house on it. I'm thinking of planting a hedge along the road edge & backyard but have to be careful not to plant anything invasive. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Not sure if this will help or not, but found this site, does give you an idea of how close/far apart to plant on the first page.
http://www.americanbamboo.org/BooksOnBambooPages/GrowingOrnamentalBamboo.html

here is my experience in zone 8a-
Multiplex types- leaf loss most winters, new culm loss most winters. if you cover them with plastic tents, you can save 75% of the leaf mass, and the new culms.

F. robusta- probably the only clumping species that will do well for a privacy screen- its the most sun tollerant of the clumpers. you get a dense stand of culms at the base, and some spread near the top, but not much, not nearly as much as many of the other Fargesias. Spacing would depend on how quickly you wanted to fill the area in. I would say no more than 8' centers for each plant, you might want to put them closer if you want it to fill in faster and have a solid screen.

I chose Buddah Belly for the very same purpose. I planted two about 7 months ago. Though I'm not pleased with their performance to date, I have been told that after the first year they start performing well.