Medium-height planting suggestions

What should I plant along the north side of my house that won't grow too tall?

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##FULL QUESTION## Dear *Gardening Life*, We want to plant along the north side of our house in Calgary (Zone 3-4). We’re considering hardy bamboo from Vancouver (no one sells it here). Can you recommend some varieties or other plants that won’t grow too tall? *—Mieka West, Calgary*

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##FULL ANSWER## Mieka, “Hardy” bamboo from Vancouver isn’t likely to be hardy in your area. You could treat it as an annual, since it grows very quickly. Fountain bamboo (*Fargesia nitida*) is a clumper that can grow to 10 feet tall. Dwarf whitestripe bamboo (*Pleioblastus variegatus*) gets just four feet high. But why not try some of the very hardy prairie grasses: big bluestem (*Andropogon gerardii*) gets an airy six feet; switchgrass (*Panicum virgatum*) three to six feet; little bluestem (*Schizachyrium scoparium*) three feet; and sideoats grama (*Bouteloua curtipendula*) two to three feet. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy' Pest eating purple leaf sand cherry Preventing lawn brown spots Keeping plants sturdy Preventing suckers from a cut-down serviceberry tree Best tomato seeds to sow Preventing wind damage to grasses Plants to highlight a pool Reshaping yew tree The best way to replace a lawn Best screening plants for privacy Buying snowberries in Montreal Keeping 'Endless Summer' hydrangea growing strong The proper way to fill planters The proper way to grow hyacinths Boston ivy and rough winters Fast growing shade tree Using black walnut chips under a cedar tree Compatible plants with bell peppers Beneficial plants for roses Growing berries on a firethorn Improving asparagus garden

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