Martha Stewart Living, April 2004
Here's an attractive way to prevent invasive plants such as dwarf bamboo from overrunning your garden: Plant them in terra-cotta chimney flue tiles. Use a tile with a diameter that is at least 4 inches wider than the plant's root ball. Sink the tile into the soil so that the lip sticks up 1 inch; plant inside the tile.
what is a chimney tile?
Bamboo is VERY invasive. The roots will eventually find a way to get past even a deep container. My neighbor had bamboo up against a shared fence. Despite the concrete patio the shoots found their way past the concrete patio to the other side. It was horrible trying get rid of the thing. If you must have it, I would plant it in a container with a bottom in it and away from the general garden. And even then, I would watch carefully for growth spilling out of it.
Great-looking fix, but I would have to seriously wonder if the depth of a chimney tile was enough to contain ambitious bamboo roots! My sis in Ohio used, instead, a big, heavy duty plastic garbarge can with the bottom cut out to keep deep bamboo roots in order! She tried that after failing with more shallow "corrals"! FWIW.....