My first recommendation, if you are truly serious about growing some bamboo is to order David Farrrelly's, 'The Book of Bamboo', quite possibly the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject and a fabulous and entertaining read as well.
Amazon.com has used versions starting at $18.61.
Secondly there are ways of controlling the running aspect of those types that like to 'run'.... i.e., 'Bamboo Rhizome Barrier' an effective 60 mil thick x 30" tall high density plastic sheet that keeps the
roots contained just as if they were planted in a pot. One supplier of this 'Barrier' is
bamboogarden.com in Oregon, but you may be able to find a more
local supplier in your area (via internet/Google).
My third thought would be that you shouldn't have any problems finding clump or running bamboo varieties for your area. I live in Sweden and have maintained two varieties of clump bamboo for 10 years...there are many varieties that are quite winter hardy, as Farrelly's book notes. My closest big supplier is a nursery in Denmark that has 12 different varieties consisting of both clump & runners. Again a Google search for 'bamboo & ohio' should turn up many suppliers for your area. One that I noted with a quick search was
Bamboo Farm (aka Five Springs Farm, Athens, OH) which has five varieties of 'runners' and two varieties of 'clump' bamboo.
Bamboo, a grass, generally grows vertically for a period of about one month. That being the case, the taller timber bamboos can often grow 12"+ in one 24 hour period, though the climate and soil conditions can affect that as well. Even here in Sweden, as I had noted decades ago in Oregon, the bamboo grows generally in May-June. Leaf growth can continue to happen over the
course of most of the warmer months.
If wanting to create a hedging affect for privacy concerns, my recommendation would be more for the clumping varieties as they generally are much thicker, whereas the runners tend to have more space between the '
culms' (vertical stems). If you have good acreage though, I don't believe there is anything more beautiful than a
grove of the larger running timber varieties.
On your final query, I would have to add that the best
answer is once again my first recommendation of David Farrelly's book. Bamboo is one of the most important plants known and utilized by mankind. Man's thousands of years of noted history with bamboo includes use as food (bamboo shoots), paper making (leaves), and construction of everything from bicycle frames, bridges, scaffolding, plumbing &
water pipes, to veneers in making of airplane hulls and more... not to mention the handcraft area of making utility
spoons for kitchen use and other three dimensional implements. Today there is also a growing industry of bamboo laminates for the making of flooring, cutting boards and other things. The limitations of the uses of bamboo are it seems, the limitations of our own imaginations. Bamboo fibers were even some of the first items tested by Edison while looking for an element in his first
light bulbs.
Hope this information starts you on your journey of becoming acquainted with this wonderful plant,
N Harris. Incidentally, if you hadn't noticed, I am a great proponent in support of everybody growing bamboo. The U.S. annually imports nearly 30,000 ton of just bamboo shoots alone, for eating. Additionally, all of the underlined links in this post includes scads more information for you.
This Grass is Great for the Globe!