We have a long, thin property, and a field behind. A developer has bought the field…. We’d like to plant bamboo as a screen/fence. I know often folks are very anxious to get rid of bamboo, and we realize that it can be quite invasive. But then, so can developers. ;)
Bamboo is not a native plant, so when it grows, it has runners that go underground and before you know it, can take over your entire yard and it is very very hard to get rid of. I have heard that if you want a bamboo forest, put a very deep cement trench around it so it will not escape.
Other options that grow quickly are Leland Cypress….they grow tall, stay green and won’t take over your whole yard.
Another problem that somebody I knew had … was that his bamboo had grown over into the neighboring property and created a big problem for him in getting it removed and trying to keep it from spreading back in.
We’ve used Leyland Cypress, as Robin mentioned, and really like the look better also. If you like birds, they will appreciate the dense evergreen foilage too.