# Gardening advice: shrubs? bamboo? flowers?



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi All

My husband and I don't have any green thumbs at all, but we'd like to put some new plants into our yard, front and back, because after many years of neglect, the place is starting to look ratty. We've pulled out a mountain of blackberry brambles and have lots of space.

We lost a tree during a snowfall a couple of years ago, and would like to put up something that will grow quickly for privacy, as our neighbour's kitchen overlooks our yard. It's our backyard, with a west/south exposure. Should we put in some bamboo? Any other suggestions? The neighbour has a fence there, so we'd be putting something up against the fence or within 6 feet of it.

We have dug another garden in the front yard where we tried to grow hydrangea but couldn't get it to take. It's got an eastern exposure and is next to a holly tree. It is partly shady but not too shady because it's a fairly big yard and it gets a bit of light from the south side for part of the day. This garden is about 8 feet by 6 feet.

Should we plant some flowers there? If so, what kind? Flowering shrubs? 

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i'd put up a lattice and grow pea's where you want privacy, im going to do that on our balcony this summer for shade it would work for privacy too and of course theyre also tasty


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

if you like i can stop by and give you a hand...


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Bamboo would make a great privacy screen, I used it around a hot tub once...HOWEVER words of warning...if you plant it make sure you bury some plant pots in the gorund to contain it...it will spread like wild fire otherwise and end up growing up in the middle of places you do not want it...also it can be messy to clean up after a wind storm but make for very very good privacy screens!

For a nice tree if you decide to go that way would be a nice Red Leaf Maple, or a flowering dogwood.


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

My favourites are sunflowers, cosmos, and hollyhocks. I will post some pictures of my past gardens tomorrow.

I just got a packet of seeds of a novelty plant - Walking Stick Cabbage - that grows 8 feet tall. Google it. I can send you a few seeds if you like.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm a big bamboo fan.
BUT as mentioned it will spread.

You can buy clumping bamboo which does not spread.

Every time I find a runner/rhizome I pull it up and replant it along my fence line.

I bought Timber bamboo when I moved in here 7 years ago and it is still only growing new soot about 6ft.
My green stem, turning golden in the second year is running along the block wall footing of my fence line and putting up new larger shoots each year 12' tall last year.
I have had runners come up 10ft away from the main clump.

I had to re do 1/2 my driveway 2 years ago.
Now I dig down 2' 8 inches wide along the drive way 2 time a year and remove the runners for transplanting where I want them.
I put 1ft X 2ft concrete slabs vertically sloping from the dirt toward the pavement and run a 6" strip of galvanized metal in the bottom of the trench to encourage the shoot to come up not down and under.
I back fill the trench with sand or pea gravel for easy removal next time.

Last year I had to buy a 60LB 6ft spade end (broad flat sharp) line bar to make it easier to cut the shoots.
About 1/2 of the transplants take.

I have Bamboo and Banana plants around my mobile home.
Taken in 2007:


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow! Thank you everyone! Thanks for your ideas, offer of help (Dave!), and seeds (Tom) and pics. I feel quite excited about the garden -- and very touched by your thoughtfulness. Mike, your photo is impressive. I didn't know that it was possible to grow a banana plant outside in BC. 

Mike... and anyone else with bamboo experience (Clownloachlover...) -- How fast does bamboo grow upwards in a year (as opposed to spreading)? I see that it's available for purchase online in 5 or 7 gallon pots but the plants are only 20 inches tall or so. Not much for a privacy screen. You can buy them 8 feet tall, but they are very expensive then (a hundred dollars a pot). Is bamboo like grass, growing and growing and growing? Or like a lilac shrub, growing very slowly?

Clownloachlover, that's a good idea about the dogwood and maple. I think we'll try to put a dogwood into the backyard. There's enough sun there for that. We have an old red maple in the front yard already. It's beautiful- but there's something eating it the past couple of years. The leaves are smaller and chewed. We'll have to figure that out.

Thank you, everyone!


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## Karen (Apr 22, 2010)

My backyard has southern exposure, and I put up latice screens and have 4 types of clematus, grows like weeds in my yard (Kamloops) , cut them to the ground a few weeks ago,new shoots are growing 4-5" a day, fills in the screen fast plus gorgeous flowers when they bloom. For flowers, I am huge fan of hydrangeas, front yard is full of them, plus a climbing hydrangea( this one needs shade though)


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Wow! Thank you everyone! Thanks for your ideas, offer of help (Dave!), and seeds (Tom) and pics. I feel quite excited about the garden -- and very touched by your thoughtfulness. Mike, your photo is impressive. I didn't know that it was possible to grow a banana plant outside in BC.
> 
> Mike... and anyone else with bamboo experience (Clownloachlover...) -- How fast does bamboo grow upwards in a year (as opposed to spreading)? I see that it's available for purchase online in 5 or 7 gallon pots but the plants are only 20 inches tall or so. Not much for a privacy screen. You can buy them 8 feet tall, but they are very expensive then (a hundred dollars a pot). Is bamboo like grass, growing and growing and growing? Or like a lilac shrub, growing very slowly?
> 
> ...


Bamboo can be a very fast grower if given the right exposure, water and fertilizer. I would check with your local nursery as there are several varities. I had a variety that grew to about 12 feet tall and spread like wildfire. I had to dig it out of my lawn numerous times and when I did I replanted it in teh same area I wanted the screen, within about a year I had something that was tough to see through, made a really nice screen. When I first planted mine, I bought two 5 gallon pots and planted them directly in the ground which allowed them to spread. I later did a container garden where I did not remove them from their pots and they were far more manageable.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

Morainy,
my wife and i are the same way. the front and back of our home is starting to look ratty too. our next door neighbors are around our ages and since their front is looking just as bad, it doesn't really help us. i think i burnt our lawn a couple years back with some turf builder and since then...i haven't really been into working on our lawn. but like i said...it's starting to look bad when the weeds get bigger than the plants that are supposed to be there. u know? 


anyone...
are there plants/flowers you would recommend for the green thumbless kinda ppl. something that's nice...but doesn't take alot of time to set up and maintain? since our front isn't pretty kept....ppl with their dogs feel they can just drop their bombs on our yard.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

Keep an eye on Craigslist.
there are sometimes good prices even free.
I ordered some black stem from Bamboo World in Cilliwack a couple of years back that was 7' it is still only growing to 7 ft.

I dug up some black stem from a house about to be demolished 2 years ago between Christmas and New Years.

I drove home with 10ft of branches hanging out of the back of Passad station wagon.
I kept it in a 1/2 plastic barrel in my garage and planted it in the spring it is now putting out new growth/last year 8 ft.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Bingerz,

I'm clearly not the right person to be giving advice here. Everyone else who has responded to my plea for help can offer better advice.

But from one ratty yard person to another, I would recommend considering:

-planting one or two decorative cherry or magnolia trees in your front yard, to break up the big stretch of weedy grass.

-putting some no-maintenance evergreen shrubs along the front of the house or the side of your yard, or anywhere you think looks a little bare: laurel seems to do well for this and rhododendrons are also beautiful.

-As Karen said, hydrangea do very well in BC (except at my house, where for some reason I can't get hydrangea to take at all). They're deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter but they grow really big and get covered with flowers. So, a big cluster of hydrangea could use up a lot of weedy lawn space.

In your case, a sign saying "Please do not let your dog visit here..." might be in order...lol



bingerz said:


> Morainy,
> anyone...
> are there plants/flowers you would recommend for the green thumbless kinda ppl. something that's nice...but doesn't take alot of time to set up and maintain? since our front isn't pretty kept....ppl with their dogs feel they can just drop their bombs on our yard.


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## bingerz (Mar 3, 2011)

yeah i was thinking about making one of them small picket signs you stick in the ground...make it look like a little kid drew it. like crayon style with backwards letters.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Clownloachlover said:


> I would check with your local nursery as there are several varieties. I had a variety that grew to about 12 feet tall and spread like wildfire. When I first planted mine, I bought two 5 gallon pots and planted them directly in the ground which allowed them to spread. I later did a container garden where I did not remove them from their pots and they were far more manageable.


Spreading like wildfire -- that's what we need in one area, for sure. We lost a very old tree during a snowstorm and suddenly we're waving at our neighbours as they have their coffee all the time. I'm sure they'd appreciate a privacy screen, too! 



Karen said:


> My backyard has southern exposure, and I put up latice screens and have 4 types of clematis, grows like weeds in my yard (Kamloops) , cut them to the ground a few weeks ago,new shoots are growing 4-5" a day, fills in the screen fast plus gorgeous flowers when they bloom.


Good ideas, Karen. I've always loved clematis and have never even thought of planting it because it looks so beautiful that I thought it would be hard. 



mikeike said:


> I ordered some black stem from Bamboo World in Cilliwack a couple of years back that was 7' it is still only growing to 7 ft.
> 
> I dug up some black stem from a house about to be demolished 2 years ago. I drove home with 10ft of branches hanging out of the back of Passad station wagon. I kept it in a 1/2 plastic barrel in my garage and planted it in the spring it is now putting out new growth/last year 8 ft.


Thanks for the info, Mikeike. I have been reading Bamboo World's information online. I wonder why your black bamboo is still only 7 feet tall? Is that the height that you want it to be? Or do you want it to be higher and it won't grow? I think we need something that's at least 12 feet high... soon. Thanks for the Craigslist hint...


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm right beside the freeway in S Surry I want my bamboo 40fot tall and 8 feet thik to block out the trafic noise.

Cheers


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## STANKYfish (Apr 21, 2011)

I am an avid gardener and love bamboo, but would not put it close to the house. I have heard stories of it growing through the concrete  Which would be another issue harder to solve. Lattice wall works great, they have the plastic ones that last a little longer then wood. I have a butterfly bush that grows very fast and flowers similar to a lilac. I even have a fair sized one i can give you. Or hedging trees work great! Out this way some can be had for 5- 10$ for 5-8ft. Even as mentioned, sometimes people on craigslist are giving away just for labor involed.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I keep some plastic bags, a large tub with the rope handles, a shovel, axe and cutters in my van when I'm crusing areas of new development.

2 years ago I went to the area they built the new Best Buy and London Drugs at 160th and 24th in S Surrey.
I found an old chicken coup with 1ft deep old chicken sh*t in it.
I brought home 3 garbage bags full.
Another time I got to an old grow op where the potting mix was dumped outside in an area 20 ft X 40 ft 3 ft deep.
I brought home 10 garbage bags full and blended in the CS.

When free manure is offered on Craigslist I get a few garbage cans full.

all the stuff gets dumped in my driveway and mixed together to make my own planting mix.
In the fall I get about 10 garbage cans full of leaves and keep mowing then down until the can be blended into my soil mix.

That makes my winter much for my plants.

I also check out places set for demolition and salvage the plants. Last year I got 5 - 3ft boxwoods with the price tags and identification labels still on them.

Plants are often bulldozed when they are doing the site prep.

Good luck
Mike in S Surrey


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

Bamboo is technically a grass & grows like grass. LOL
Don't give upon the hydrangea they're stubborn sometimes.
I like the lattice idea, you could try a few types of Clematis, I luv how they look & spread, peas would be great too as mentioned.

Like Mike Mentioned, Grow-Op soil is really good for the garden!!!


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

Another good privacy plant to Laurel it is evergreen and makes a good hedge.

Japanese Boxwood is also evergreen and has nice long thorns to discourage passage through it.<G>

When I had to replace my fence along the highway last year I picked up 5 different clematis (they were cheap in August).
I planted them in 1 foot of my mixed soil. A couple of them grew 2 feet or more in a month.
I put up 1" conduit (galvanized steel) at each end of the fence so it was 2 ft above the top of the fence and ran Green plastic coated wire along the length of my fence.

I supported it every 20 ft with bamboo poles.
then run plastic green twine from the short stakes holding up the Clematis to the high wire.

I now have some of the Clematis shoots running along the high wire.

Before I took down my fence I had transplanted some Blackberry vines 2 years ago.
They grew up my 6 ft fence and along a string 20 tf in each direction as well as trying to put runners into my yard.
Weed wacker works well if you can catch them before the get over 1/4".

They are still trying to sprout this year again. Hard to eradicate!


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Here's some bamboo ads off CL:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pml/zip/2341261705.html

Bamboo

Black Bamboo to Trade

You can look up others.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

If you want to dig it out & transport it, we have a big lilac tree available for free. You provide the muscle & time, you can have the tree for FREE!. I can even trim it to the right height for you if you want. Probably 12-13' tall right now. Will bloom soon & very beautiful flowers, but I want to build a koi pond in that spot.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow, thank you Seahorse Fanatic for the offer of the lilac tree as well as the Craigslist links. (It's news to me that people put their plants on Craigslist)

I am drooling over the lilac (my favourite flower) but I don't have a way to dig it out and transport it.

Lilac is one of the most beautiful flowers, though. Are you sure you want to put your koi pond exactly there?

To everyone else who has helped me with ideas and suggestions on this thread and by PM - thank you! I have lots of ideas now and am even going to try hydrangea again (in the front yard). A bunch of you have talked me into it. And bamboo, and lilacs... and I might try clematis on the other side of the yard (sunnier). Thanks!



SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> If you want to dig it out & transport it, we have a big lilac tree available for free. You provide the muscle & time, you can have the tree for FREE!. I can even trim it to the right height for you if you want. Probably 12-13' tall right now. Will bloom soon & very beautiful flowers, but I want to build a koi pond in that spot.


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## punchbuggy (Apr 21, 2010)

I really love clematis. They are climbing vines. Takes a few years before they get settled but boy, amazing flowers and lasts all summer long.!


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is a good read on growning clematis..

Clematis


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Wow, thank you Seahorse Fanatic for the offer of the lilac tree as well as the Craigslist links. (It's news to me that people put their plants on Craigslist)
> 
> I am drooling over the lilac (my favourite flower) but I don't have a way to dig it out and transport it.
> 
> Lilac is one of the most beautiful flowers, though. Are you sure you want to put your koi pond exactly there?


If you want it, come over & I'll give you a hand digging it out. We can cut it back until it fits my CRV or figure out another transportation solution.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for the clematis tips, Dave. That made for interesting reading -- and I wouldn't have figured any of it out on my own, especially about the fungicide or the pruning. My skills might not be up to clematis yet. I wonder if I can talk my neighbour into planting some right next to my yard, lol...



bonsai dave said:


> Here is a good read on growning clematis..
> 
> Clematis


That's a really nice, offer, SeaHorse Fanatic. I'll write you by PM.



SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> If you want it, come over & I'll give you a hand digging it out. We can cut it back until it fits my CRV or figure out another transportation solution.


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## punchbuggy (Apr 21, 2010)

Ahh! Don't get worried. Most species are the hack to the ground kind and come back profusely the next year. Usually they are labelled group 3 or C. I usually get the none hacking/prune to your desire kind, group 2/b. Give it a try. Btw the annual van dusen plant sale is this may 1st and the new west one is on the 2nd!


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

Lilac bushes!! my mom has pruned hers to still be bushes but grow up tall, and they are around 12 feet tall now, and makes for great privacy screen. She also planted a may tree. However, i dont know how well these do in your growing zone.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Lilac tree is now up for grabs, unless someone is willing to help dig it up & transport it for Morainy

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/misc-classified-51/ff-lilac-tree-12-u-dig-south-burnaby-15481/


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

*vermiculite warning*

To all Plant lovers and not so green thumbs. Be Careful not to use any soil mix containing vermiculite. The Vermiculite can contain asbestos and it's a type 3 with is very bad. Vermiculite is mostly used in indoor soil mixtures...


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I use SeaSoil which is composted fish & forest wastes from Vancouver Island. Very BC, Very O-Natural:lol:


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Yikes, I didn't know that, Dave! They should make that illegal. What is the point of putting asbestos into a soil mix, anyway? It's not like plants need a fire retardant....

By the way, yesterday my kids, husband and I moved a weed tree (mountain ash, I think) that had sprung up on the side of our yard in the blackberry brambles, into the bare spot where we lost a tree. We didn't know what we were doing so I hope that it survives. It's quite small still, so I hope it will take.

We're going to try bamboo and lilac shrubs in the rest of the area.

By the way, Seahorse_Fanatic has a mature lilac tree that you can have if you can dig it out. There's no way that you can get something like that at a local nursery (from what I've seen). Even much smaller plants cost a fortune. Somebody should grab it -- it's just about to bloom!



bonsai dave said:


> To all Plant lovers and not so green thumbs. Be Careful not to use any soil mix containing vermiculite. The Vermiculite can contain asbestos and it's a type 3 with is very bad. Vermiculite is mostly used in indoor soil mixtures...


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Gotta make room for the 160g Tuff Stuff stock tank pond I'm putting in the backyard for the koi/butterfly koi/goldfish.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy if you want the tree and can digg it out your self I can move it for you .I have no more room for any more trees .I already taking care off 50 trees .I used to have over 200 bonsaidave.s


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Dave, thank you for your offer. The tree isn't going to work out for us, but I hope that someone here will take it. I'll send you a PM.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

My mom came over & she decided for us that we should keep the tree since it is one of her favourites and smells so nice throughout the summer. Lilac tree is no longer available, so it all worked out for the best Maureen.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh, I'm so glad, SeahorseFanatic! Lilac trees are beautiful. Your mom has good taste! I hope that tree gives you pleasure for many summers to come.



SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> My mom came over & she decided for us that we should keep the tree since it is one of her favourites and smells so nice throughout the summer. Lilac tree is no longer available, so it all worked out for the best Maureen.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Just going to prune the lower branches & build a cedar bench/surround for the pond so people (ie. Felicia) can sit and watch the koi.

I was planning to plant a 4 variety cherry-combo tree where the lilac is but now I'll have to find a different spot in the backyard. 

Going to pick up a persimmon tree (Fuyu) and have some dwarf lemon trees on order with Mandeville Garden Works.

Anthony


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## punchbuggy (Apr 21, 2010)

i hope someone made it to van dusen today.. beautiful day and so many plants!


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