One homeowner was looking for some type of plant to give them more privacy, and looked to the landscaping community for advice.
Redditors quickly came to the homeowner's aid and even scared the person from moving forward with their chosen plant.
A post in the r/landscaping subreddit sought advice about planting bamboo to give them privacy between their yard and their neighbor's.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
The OP said, "I'd love to plant something that would grow quickly, is tall, and would completely block any view of each others back yards. I was thinking bamboo, but not sure if that's a death wish."
Redditors were quick to tell the homeowner that bamboo is an invasive species and hard to control.
While many bamboo species are invasive, according to Fast Growing Trees, not all bamboo are. They are even reportedly easy to take care of and great for growing inside. The website even specifically noted bamboo as good to use as a privacy fence.
Additionally, it has eco-friendly benefits, such as preventing soil erosion on slopes. Bamboo can even be used for toilet paper, which has grown in popularity. Since bamboo grows quickly, it's a renewable resource. It's also durable and requires fewer resources than regular toilet paper to make.
It would have been a great option if the homeowner had found the right kind of bamboo. But the Redditors shared horror stories of invasive bamboo. The OP said: "You all have sufficiently scared me."
Many plants have eco-friendly benefits. That's why rewilding your yard with native plants can be so rewarding. Since they have adapted to the environment, they require less water, pesticides, and fertilizers. This saves you money and prevents water runoff, which can pollute waterways.
Native plants will also be an excellent invitation for wildlife, such as bees and birds, which are pollinators. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, humans and animals couldn't survive without them since 80% of the 1,400 crop plants grown worldwide require pollination.
While planting the right bamboo type has benefits, it's easy to see from the comments why the homeowner will go in a different direction.
One user said, "It's horrible. We just paid $1100 to have it removed from my brother-in-law's backyard, and it keeps coming back."
Another said, "It's so terrible that you can be sued for planting it in some places."
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