Bamboos are evergreen. A small, slender tree might take many years to develop. Say you planted a small-growing maple, that grew about 1' per year. Do you want to wait that long to get the full shading effect?

You probably need an architectural solution, like an arbor and trellis. Wouldn't cast a big shadow over the roof, but neither would a 15' tree.

Thanks. Yes, I know that bamboo is evergreen; it was sort of my last resort, since supposedly it grows quickly.

I will look into an architectual solution.

I am not trying to shade the roof, just the side of the house, as I think you noted.

Thanks again.

Climbers (vines) on a frame would get right to the point. Of course, you have to pay for the arbor etc. to be built. And prune and train the climbers to produce the desired surface.

Maybe a climbing annual. Pole beans would work if you like vegetables, they easily grow to 15'.

You would have to put down a major barrier for running bamboo.

Cheaper to build trellises and plant vines.

Here are mine:

Here is a link that might be useful: my trellises

I use runner beans and they work great.

Buyorsell, did you paint the house to match the clematis, or buy the clematis to match the house? The combo is just great. I'm trying to use colour cleverly but find it tough so I admire your choices.

why not combine some ideas for that side?

i think bamboo isn't that bad of an idea, but grab a bunch of large containers (those big aluminum water troughs for example) and start some clumps. place the containers in a a spot that maximizes views- don't block winter light, frame a summer view.

then near windows-to shade in summer light- i would throw up some trellis like structure or some other solution and grow up a variety of dec vines. hard to get up to two stories here, but your bamboo clumps will be wider at the top than the bottom.

hops, grapes, runner beans, clematis, and so on. if you can put those on the other side of the gravel path, that would probably work better.

The house was painted long before I planted the Clematis. I chose those colors because I like them rather than to harmonize with the house. :)

We are going to repaint the house, I'm sick of gray and am going to go with a warmer color scheme. Likely a pale green or tan. The clems won't go as nicely with it but that garden isn't visible from the street and what is in front, will go.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

I appreciate them.

Paul

What about an espaliered fig? They provide a lot of shade in the summer. leaf out late, grow pretty quickly... I've seen them pruned to face a three foot high wall, or a large flat area. I planted mine to grow over the patio from the south side. They take well to pruning.
Check out what the French do to their fruit trees - the masters of espalier techniques.

Along that same line, you could use pyracantha espaliered. I use it to mute fence. It blooms white in spring, vibrant berries in fall and winter and is evergreen. Here's one above my pond that's budding up now. I've been a bit distracted on other projects and it needs pruning but...I just pin it to the fence with velcro tape and let it go whereever it seems to want to.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1077688}}