Help me brainstorm this barrel idea.....

actually, if you cut the barrel away, transplanting would be simple albeit heavy work...

I was surfing the net the other night looking for ideas for my garden and I came across an idea for a parachute type material that you could hook up, kinda like a roman blind. I wish I could find the site. I'll keep looking.
Basically, the idea is, when you want the privacy, you raise the sail/screen and it hangs, at an angle, over the area you want to protect, and you pull it down when you're good..
Once you've got the idea, you can modify it however you want, colours, size, shape etc.

I can't really put them in the ground.... there is an old foundation underneath much of the grass. I could transplant part of it eventually but I wouldn't have the height I need it to be right away. Right now I want it up high.

Later, I could probably afford better pots and I wouldn't need 15 of them.

I can't spend $2000 (minimum) on pots right now in addition to probably $1000 on plants.

I was thinking about the roots, fuss to the plant, when it could already be started in the ground. 3 0r 4 feet don't take long for some plants... compared to expense, effort, time, re barrels.

Oh, I thought it was just right by the fence. I remember you talked about it once before - how far into the yard does it go? How deep is the foundation? I'd want to jack it out - but I think you explained before why not. You know the situation so I'll stop saying put them in the ground.

edit
Besides, now there is the large tree and it's roots that need to be protected. Maybe that had something to do with their not taking out the foundation in the first place. What a pickle.

Now these Thuja green giant trees grow up to 5 feet per year and would give you tons of privacy.

http://www.amazon.com/Thuja-Green-Giant-Arborvitae-Trees/dp/B00655KOW8

Bamboo is very cool, I'd go for it. Get a lot of it and you're halfway to a Japanese garden. Suppoosed to be among the fstest growing plants. Not all are invasive, but some really are and barrels should contain them. They're gonna be top heavy if they're in 3' barrels. Wind is likely to be a problem. Maybe sink the barrels halfway, or get some long metal rods, and drill holes in the bottom of the barrels for them and sink them a few more feet in the earth, to keep the barrels from tipping over.

I'd worry about what might have been in the barrels too. If it wasn't really awful, you can always put a couple of layers of plastic sheeting in the barrels before you put any dirt or stones in them--should last a few years (maybe five, I'm guessing). Get the thickest guage your local hardware store has.

Could camouflage the barrels with a screen of bamboo, or cheapwood stakes or lathing, again from the lumber or hardware store. Loop twine or weatherproofed string around one, tie a square knot in it, line another stake up with it, loop around, tie another quare knot, line another stake up, another knot, and so on, til you're done.

We've thought about something like that but I really don't want a huge green wall taking over the back yard.

Plus, I can't plant anything in part of it because of the old foundation.

Me wishes the neighbor would plant some trees..

I like bamboo too. I really like the sound when the wind blows through it!

That's a great idea about sinking the barrels! I was thinking that if I filled the bottom with rocks I'd be good to go.

I like the idea of growing my own screen for the bamboo out of the bamboo I grow! That's kind of a fun idea. Using rope to disguise them is another good idea. I saw some that were covered in burlap that looked pretty cool but I imagine I'd have to replace that pretty regularly....

I wish she hadn't chopped down the one that was in the middle of the fence!

She did that when they put this house on the market so she wouldn't have to ask any new neighbors for permission.

But she's great. I really like her. Her lot is half as wide as ours and she has 3 small children so she needs all the space she can get. I don't begrudge her anything but I would like some privacy from her.

Just found a site with a lot of info on bamboo needs, the shortness of the roots, the concerns about wind, lots of other stuff -

http://www.completebamboo.com/bamboo_placement.html

I'll check that out!

I don't know if you saw the link I posted earlier to our local bamboo farm: http://www.bamboogarden.com/. I think I'd trust them to help me select the right bamboo for what we need for our area.

No, I missed that. Great to have a good local place. They'll know their p's and q's.

Here, lots of garden supply sorts of places, or people advertise in local papers to sell, half wine barrels.

They are big wooden things, quite attractive, and the wine remnants don't seem to hurt plants.

Remember, you'll need a drain hole in the bottom of whatever you use, and the bamboo roots will end up in the ground.

Pitosporums don't invade, grow very fast, are fairly contained, are evergreen, come in lots of colour varieties and are dense enough to use as a hedge if you like.

So you'd not need barrels. Not sure if they grow to be25 feet is all. The one I planted out the front of my previous house towers over the house, and the ones already planted down the side made great screens.

I have to raise them since I can't plant in the ground without tearing up most of the yard.

I really don't want to tear up the yard the yard for this project.

Plus, after a quick search, I'm not sure that they grow well here.

Also, I think the scale of having raised plants would be good along this fence. I just can't spend $3000 on pots.

I have several of the wine barrel planters already in use. I looked for full barrels but they are almost as expensive as the ceramic pots and I'd have to pay shipping.

Okay I hate both the bamboo and the barrels, but I'm not going to labor the point. I don't think the answer to your problem is plants from the conditions and preferences you describe, but rather something more architectural. Better to save up some money and do it right.

Would something like this work off the building in the photo? It's retractable and they come in many sizes:



Site: http://www.awningbytroger.com/Troger_Awning_Retractable.htm

or go for something with a roof:



or work with the existing fence

This is what I'm doing this year, it's called hugelkultur. It's a type of no-watering mound or raised bed idea that might be just the ticket for you.
Basically what you do is, you pile up a bunch of big tree trunks or branches, and then pile on the smaller branches, then the grass you've dug up - upside down, straw, manure, old leaves, compost and then a thin layer of dirt.

This can be done on top of the existing foundation and as it rots it provides the nutrients and the water for the new plants.
I'm doing mine in raised beds, but you can do either. The nice thing about the mounds is... you have triple the growing space and can grow other plants along side the bamboo.
This way, you don't have to worry about the barrels rotting and the roots of your plants will have room to grow.

I drove around the neighbourhood and picked up all kinds of wood from the annual spring cleanup. It's going to be a lot of work, but in the end, I'll save money and time on watering and weeding will be very easy.
Anyhow, if you're interested there are pages of info on google.