That Pretty Bamboo Could Become Your Most Expensive Landscaping Mistake

Running bamboo can spread underground into neighboring yards, gardens, and landscaping features. Removing established rhizomes may require repeated treatment or professional excavation, turning an inexpensive privacy screen into a costly project. Sanjiv Shukla/Shutterstock

Imagine spending $200 on a few beautiful bamboo plants to create a natural privacy screen in your backyard. Within a couple of years, you’ve got the lush, tropical-looking barrier you wanted, and you haven’t spent thousands of dollars installing a fence.

Then your neighbor knocks on the door because bamboo shoots are appearing on their side of the property line.