EcoHaven helps landowners across the Mid-Atlantic region remove or control aggressive non-native species that threaten ecological health and property values. One such species is commonly planted by landowners who may not fully understand the impact that their new landscaping will have on their land. Bamboo, which is sold in many cultivars, is often planted by landowners to serve as a fast-growing and year-round privacy fence. While bamboo does create a dense, impenetrable natural barrier of vegetation that will provide a visual buffer from your neighbors, its negative impacts often outweigh its benefits.
Its ability to quickly establish into dense patches means that bamboo crowds out and kills native vegetation that provides important food and shelter for native wildlife. The aggressive growth habit of bamboo also means that keeping it limited to the desired areas of your property will be an on-going maintenance task. Not to mention your neighbor's may not take kindly to your new landscaping spreading onto their property if you plant it near your property boundary.
"Running" varieties of bamboo are particularly problematic as they can spread approximately 3-5 feet per year. They accomplish this by sending out underground roots called rhizomes that spread laterally in the soil before sending up a new shoot. These new shoots can grow at an extraordinarily fast rate and the tender young shoots of some bamboo species are actually edible. Though bamboo is actually a grass, the shoots turn into hard woody stems as they reach maturity and they can grow to a height of 20-30 feet.
Once established, bamboo can be difficult to remove. Complete eradication can be accomplished by a foliar herbicide application on newly-growing shoots or a cut-stump herbicide application on shoots that have been cut off at ground level. If you prefer to avoid the use of herbicide, excavating the rhizomes of the bamboo can also control the plant but it is imperative to remove all pieces of the rhizomes because any bits left in the soil can re-sprout. Repeated cutting of the shoots can also drain the plant's energy and kill it overtime, but this method takes persistence!
In some cases, homeowners may want to simply limit the spread of an existing patch of bamboo. This was the case for a recent EcoHaven client who wanted to stop bamboo which was spreading from a neighbor's property onto their property and threatening to block their beautiful view of Hunting Creek. To accomplish this, EcoHaven dug a trench that was 4 inches wide and 30 inches deep and installed 80 millimeter thick high-density polyethylene bamboo barrier along the boundary of the client's property where the bamboo was encroaching.
Normally, most bamboo rhizomes stay within the top few inches of soil. However, when the rhizomes hit an impenetrable obstruction, such as bamboo barrier, they can grow down deeper in the soil in an attempt to grow around the blockage. By installing the bamboo barrier so deep in the ground, rhizomes from the neighboring property will no longer be able to encroach onto the client's property. Prior to beginning this project, some rhizomes had already spread past the location where the barrier was installed and onto the client's property. Due to this, underground rhizomes that were on the client's property were manually dug out and discarded to keep these from developing into a new stand of bamboo on the client's property.
After the bamboo barrier was installed in the trench, the trench was filled back in with soil and then leaf litter from the surrounding forest was placed back on top of the disturbed area to prevent soil erosion into the adjacent tidal creek and wetlands. Even after filling the trench, the bamboo barrier protrudes 3 inches above the soil to prevent bamboo rhizomes from growing over top of the barrier and onto the client's property. The client will periodically monitor for "rogue rhizomes" that attempt to grow over the bamboo barrier, but it will significantly lessen the threat of bamboo encroaching on their property and drastically reduce the maintenance involved to keep it that way.
As a company dedicated to improving the health and resiliency of the environment, EcoHaven commends those who are looking to utilize more natural structures to achieve privacy around their homes. If this is the case for you, we recommend looking for native evergreen alternatives to help achieve privacy while also providing beneficial food and habitat for wildlife. Utilizing native plants in your landscaping will also significantly reduce your maintenance efforts and costs as you will not need to constantly work to keep them contained and they are adapted to living in this region so once established, they do not require maintenance such as watering or fertilizing.
If you are interested in installing native vegetation to serve as a privacy buffer and provide beauty and wildlife habitat around your home, consider choosing Atlantic White Cedar or Eastern Red Cedar (which is actually a juniper!) which are both dense evergreen trees that reach a height of 30-50 feet. If you are looking for something a little shorter, American holly provides evergreen foliage and the benefit of red berries that are eaten by many bird species. Cuttings from American holly also make great additions to natural holiday decor! Another option is mountain laurel which is an evergreen shrub that sports large bunches of beautiful white flowers in the early summer. If you need help picking out native plants that are suitable for your site and your project goals, let us know and we would be happy to help you "achieve your ecohaven"!