I can certainly see why you would want to lose that view. An older site on level ground might have perfectly adequate soil already, with mulching, irrigation and fertilizing all that is required to maximize response from the bamboo. If planting running kinds you will need the root barrier if you don't want to end up with them coming up all over. This includes amongst each other, if installing multiple kinds some provision for keeping them separate will have to be made.

I'd go for a grove effect, with a hidden clearing inside for the table. For greater interest than that given by a grove of one kind maybe plant four kinds in a rectangle, with the table in the center. As they spread and fill in the geometry of the original layout will become less apparent. You could devote as much as half the area shown to this scheme and still have plenty of room left for other uses. And other kinds of plants and other features such as pools, fountains or statues could be included within the grove.

Thanks for the response. I plan on four seperate areas for four different bamboos but the first will be the largest and maybe henon. These four areas will make up a horseshoe shape. I also have giant elephant ears and banana trees to work with as well. Along the interior of the horshoe will be a rock patio and small koi pond. This will be next year. I just hope to get this part rolling.

Should I use certain mulch? Is it safe to plant anything else with the bamboo? Hastas? I couldn't imagine other plants getting in the way. Bamboo seems rather ruthless.

a couple of things to think about - although digging your own may be cheaper it will take up to 2 years longer to start consistently seeing large culms compared to purchasing container grown plants that have established new rhizome growth in their pots - preferably being in their containers for more than one growing season. this is because when you make a division you will be severing the division from the colony that is currently producing and storing energy as a group. what will happen is that the shoots and new culms that come up next spring will be produced from energy the grove stored in the rhizomes this summer, so you will have nice size culms next spring. but the year after that, the energy stored will come from the new, much smaller rhizome system (whatever the new transplants are able to produce next summer) so the following year you should expect to see much smaller new culms than what you planted and what comes up the first spring after you plant. it will take an additional year for the grove to have enough energy to size back up that 3rd spring. container grown plants have already started growing new rhizome so by the time you plant them they should not have that 'downsizing' spring, each year they will be bigger. if at all possible it is best to obtain plants with well established new rhizome growth in the pots, reputable nurseries will let you un-pot them and check it out.

also, digging and transplanting so late in the year will send them into winter in a somewhat destabilized condition, and they will be more cold tender as there will not be much root/rhizome mass to hydrate the culms during deep freezes, although in your climate this may not be too big of a factor. i suspect that you start seeing freezes in november/early december?. that does not allow much time for the transplant to put out new feeder roots.

We had a tractor to dig our clumps of bamboo in mid February: clump-sizes ranged from about 1 square foot to 3 or 4 square feet. The bigger the better. Getting the rhizomes back into the ground before they dry out is very important. We had too much material at first, so we buried the rhizomes in a shallow trough in the garden, while we planted the clumps that included established culms. We dug the rhizomes up and planted them a few weeks later. Worked out great.

Josh

inversa,
The price is so good on digging my own divisions that it is worth the wait. A couple hundred dollars will get me many divisions. Also I will likely order four divisions from LewisBamboo later as well. October is when everyone else told me to plant so I am already on schedule for that. Arkansas has very weird weather sometimes November is really mild. A couple years I have had tomatoes still on the vine. I'll just mulch just in case.

Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery used to have low prices on rhizome barrier.

Make sure you install the barrier with the top leaning outward from the side where the bamboo is to be planted.

I put mine in without enough slant and ALL 6 barriers failed. I'm still trying to get rid of the henon that pops up here and there throughout my yard.

Should look nice once you have finished.

Keep us posted with some pictures as you progess.

Kt

Oh wow 6 barriers!!!

I imagine it is hard to keep a consistant slant the longer the barrier. Do you have a pic of your slant? How thick was your barrier? How wide?

The barriers are covered up except about 2 to 4 inches above the ground. I had little, if any slant on the barriers.

I used the 60 mil 30" wide.

At first, I thought that the rhizomes escaped under or through the seam, but later found several places the bamboo busted clean through the barrier. I posted a pic of the breached barrier a while back in the gallery.

Good Luck

Kt

kentuck

WOW that is startling. It looks like I am going to have to custom make a tool for patroling the edges of the barrier. Do you have any advice for a more successful barrier?

Busted through.... That is amazing. Do you have a link to your gallery?

I still have lots of unanswered questions... Oh well. I'll figure it out.