Preparation For The Bamboo Border Planting – RB Project #8.9

Why Use Bamboo?

You’ve probably heard me say it before, “Use the right plant in the right place”.  You want to make choices that ensure long-term success both in beauty and function.

There are numerous considerations when selecting plants, including cost.  This was a key factor in selecting Yellow Groove Bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata).

We wanted screening that would reach 15 – 20′ to give much needed privacy for the new outdoor living space.

The backyard border was 270′ long.  There were some existing large, deciduous trees that were to remain – this meant light shade and root competition.

This bamboo would give us the height relatively quickly, thrive in the varying light conditions, deal with root competition and do this at a reasonable cost.

To deal with the “invasive” character of this bamboo, a barrier (below ground) would be installed on all sides of the planting area.  I’ll cover that in my next post on this project.

Methods To Prevent Madness

Systems and methods are key to tackling any landscape project, even when doing a basic border planting using one variety of plant. 

A disorganized, non-methodical approach adds additional time to the job, and the final outcome usually suffers too.

Landscape contractor Dave Kennedy is installing this bamboo screen.  Dave’s first phase is site prep.  This includes removing all the undesirable plant growth, digging-out the few good plants for transplant,  and rough grading the area.

Dave has a schedule for the “phases” of this job.  He also knows the materials, equipment and labor requirements for each phase.

The first picture (at the top) shows the compact excavator ripping out the old vegetation, which will be recycled.

Tactics Depend On Capability

How you approach a job depends a great deal on your capability.

Certainly this includes knowledge, but also resources such as equipment, manpower (and their skill level) and the network connections for materials & services.

Mechanical tree spades make transplanting very efficient.  Without this equipment you might decide that the time and manpower to move these trees is just not worth it.

This particular tree spade digs a 42″ diameter ball.  For these two evergreens that’s large enough to ensure transplanting success.

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.