We are considering using bamboo for a screen between our house and the neighbor's. We like the looks of it eventhough we know that bamboo has a reputation for spreading runners quickly and being a real problem if not controlled. We have small children and yard work is not a top priority. We have read about "clumping" varieties of bamboo which don't spread nearly as quickly. Does anyone have any experience growing this clumping type of bamboo in the Dallas area?

I have golden bamboo which is one of the many running bamboos. Most clumping is not cold hardy enough for this zone. There are a couple of ways to pretty well control where the running bamboo spreads. The first way is the cheapest but requires some labor. After determining where the boundries are just dig a 12" deep trench around the perimeter and cut off the runners as they expose themselves in the ditch. Growth will stop in that direction and continue perpendicular from another rizome. The other way is to install a plastic barrier 16" or so in the ground. Most of the runners travel just beneath the surface but some go a little deeper. Good luck. It does make a nice evergreen screen. Golden is hardy to about 20 degrees or so in the leaves, and to about 30 below in the root ball.

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dave