Originally Posted by CSoars 
To keep the background blurry, you're going to need to be very close to the subject, as the 35mm naturally has a larger depth of field than a telephoto.
This is a very common conception. But it is wrong. Wide angle lenses only have a larger DOF if your distance to the subject stays the same, thus filling only a smaller part of the picture. If you get closer to the subject in order to fill the same amount of the picture as with the tele, the DOF is constant.
Here is a good explanation.