Posts Tagged ‘gardening’
Here at Bambu Batu, we’ve written at great length about the countless virtues of bamboo. It’s a plant of unsurpassed strength and versatility, with an incredibly rich and colorful cultural history.
Check out our articles on What’s so great about bamboo and Bamboo symbolism and folklore to learn more about that.
But despite its many benefits, planting bamboo is actually somewhat controversial. Many amateur gardeners will actually try to talk you out of planting a bamboo hedge. And the lack of consensus leaves many people wondering: to boo or not to boo?
As great advocates of bamboo, we are certainly aware of this controversy, and we’d like to help you make the right decision before you rush into planting a bamboo privacy screen. So the following article will identify the main pros and cons of bamboo hedges. We’ll also talk about how to minimize the cons if you decide to go ahead with it.
Pros and Cons of bamboo hedges PROS Bamboo grows quickly, if you’re in a hurry to establish a privacy screen It grows thick and bushy, assuring good privacy It can grow very tall, easily providing privacy for second story windows An evergreen, bamboo will not lose its leaves in winter (resulting in less privacy) Most people consider bamboo to be an attractive plant: it sounds nice when the winds blows through, it has no prickly thorns or sticky sap, and it doesn’t drop messy berries or an excessive quantity of leaves CONS Bamboo can grow aggressively, quickly overreaching the area intended for the hedge Privacy screens normally go along property lines, so a fast-growing variety of bamboo is likely to sprawl out into the neighbor’s property, which they might not want It can be very difficult to remove bamboo from the ground, if you should change your mind after a few years A careful gardener can make the most of bamboo and avoid the potential problemsAs you can see, there are some great horticultural and aesthetic benefits to planting a bamboo privacy screen. And the biggest concern is that an established bamboo plant will get out of control.
But with an ounce of caution and a little more work at the front end, you can eliminate those problems that might crop up in the future.
How to keep your bamboo under controlTo prevent your privacy screen from producing a primal scream, there are a few precautions you should absolutely take before the bamboo goes in the ground.
ROOT BARRIERSThe most important thing you can do is bury a rhizome root barrier around the area where you will be planting the bamboo. It might not seem necessary at first, but within a few years, you could have a monster on your hands.
Not every bamboo is so aggressive, but some of them have roots that will grow like crazy. (Check out our article on Running Bamboos). The problem is, it’s very difficult for a non-expert to tell the difference.
There’s a famous proverb about bamboo that says, “The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps.” Even after a year or two, a running bamboo will look very tame. If you poke around under the soil, however, you might find that the roots tell another story. And by the third year, you could have fresh shoots coming up everywhere.
But by then it’s too late. So a good root barrier is essential. And it will allow you keep shape your hedge in a very definite and confined space, usually something long, narrow and rectangular.
Today you can buy sheets of extremely durable black polyethylene, about 1.5 mm in thickness, and usually 24″ to 30″ in width. It’s normally available on a roll, anywhere from 25 to 100 feet in length. You might think 24″ is plenty. After all, who wants to dig a 3-foot trench all the way around their hedge? But trust me, use at least 30″, you’ll be better off in the long run. Like I’ve said before, never underestimate the perseverance of a bamboo.
The most popular, most effective, tried and true bamboo containing material is available online from Amazon. It’s the DeepRoot Bamboo Barrier, 30″ deep by 100 ft roll. This stuff is nearly invincible, going a serious 2.5 feet underground, and the 100-ft roll gives you enough length to contain a pretty major privacy hedge. Consider it a few hundred bucks well spent on your peace of mind and good neighbor relations.
Another less expensive alternative to consider is Bamboo Shield’s 24″ by 100 foot roll.
Bamboo Shield also offers shorter rolls with deeper coverage to contain the most aggressive bamboo specimens, all available at Amazon. Check out the Bamboo Shield 30″ by 50 foot roll, or the extra heavy duty Bamboo Shield 36″ by 25 foot roll .
ROOT MAINTENANCEEven if you have a good root barrier, you’ll want to poke around in the soil on a regular basis, to make sure the roots aren’t creeping through the mulch and climbing over the root barrier. At least once a year, you’ll want to go in with some heavy duty clippers and cut back some of the roots.
If you already have a bamboo hedge without a barrier, don’t panic. You still have options. A lot of gardeners just go in and prune their roots back at least once a year. Of course, this will be more work, but if you really want to build a close relationship with your bamboo, this is one way to do it.
Otherwise, it’s not impossible to dig around and plant your root barrier around an existing bamboo plant. But you’ll want to perform a deep and serious root pruning beforehand.
BAMBOO IN CONTAINERSAnother option, if you don’t want to get your hands dirty burying a rhizome barrier, is to keep your bamboo hedge in a series of pots or barrels. Or, with some basic carpentry skills, you can build a long, narrow planter just the right size for your hedge.
But don’t think that pots and boxes will solve all your problems. Roots still want to grow. If you don’t transplant potted bamboo and divide the rootball on a regular basis, it will probably burst through its container. Still, pulling it out of the pots and pruning the roots might be easier than digging in the ground every six months.
Also, if you have potted bamboo sitting on bare earth, the roots will eventually creep out of the drain holes and make their way into the ground. If you try to move a pot of bamboo and it won’t budge, this is probably what happened.
Selecting bamboo for a hedgeWith some 2000 varieties of bamboo to choose from, selecting the best bamboo for your garden can be a challenge. The first criteria to consider is whether you want a running bamboo or a clumping bamboo. A lot of people have a fear of running bamboo, which is notoriously aggressive, so they will prefer clumping bamboo.
But if you’re planting a privacy hedge, a running bamboo will generally be a better choice. A few runners will fill out the given space more quickly and thoroughly, producing a dense and well-defined hedge. Clumping bamboo, on the other hand, will spread slowly and look uneven.
The next criteria will be the size of the bamboo. Are you looking for a 30-40′ privacy hedge? Phyllostachys vivax might be the best choice. Or will 6-8 feet be enough? Are you looking for thick bamboo poles that will knock together, or do you prefer something light and delicate with leaves the rustle in the breeze?
Check out our article on the 10 Best bamboos for your garden to learn about different varieties of bamboo and their characteristics.
DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through those links and make a purchase. This helps us meet the cost of maintaining our website and producing great articles.
There’s an old saying among seasoned bamboo growers. “The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps.” Those wanting a quick spreading hedge or grove in their backyard might be disappointed with their new stand of bamboo after the first 6 to 12 months. But it won’t be long before they’re running for their chainsaws and pick axes, desperate to curtail an out-of-control root system.
So before you plant that super sustainable renewable grass specimen in your garden, you’ll need to have a clear strategy for bamboo containment. And if it’s already too late, and the clump you planted just two or three years ago is already running amok, then you’ll want to consider some effective methods of bamboo abatement and eradication.
Or worse yet, maybe your neighbor went gung-ho a few years back after an inspiring trip to the home and garden show (or a quick glance at this rousing article on the best bamboo varieties). And now his short-sighted dream of a Japanese garden is turning into a nightmare of bamboo rhizomes wreaking havoc on your fence line, your flowers beds, your veggie patch and your sprinkler system. In this case, you’ll want to study up on both topics mentioned above, in addition to possibly signing up for a course on non-violent communication.
When it comes to time make peace with your neighbor, you’re on your own. But this article will help you with the first two issues, and also prevent you from becoming the kind of gardener whose neighbors want to come after them with a bulldozer in the night.
DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through those links and make a purchase. This helps us meet the cost of maintaining our website and producing great articles.
The Importance of Bamboo ContainmentIf you’re planting a fast-growing (read: aggressively spreading) bamboo privacy hedge, or one of the popular and massive timber bamboos, and you live in a neighborhood (as opposed to rural farmland), then a good rhizome barrier is absolutely essential.
Here are a couple things you will need to keep in mind. First of all, never underestimate the tenacity of a healthy bamboo plant. Bamboo is a force of nature unlike any other. People like to talk about runners vs. clumpers, but as they mature, all bamboos display the undeniable will to spread out. You can put bamboo into a pot or a barrel, but don’t kid yourself. If there’s a crack in the barrel or a hole in the pot — and surely there is — the bamboo roots will eventually find their way out. And if there’s soil below, the roots will take hold faster than you can say Phyllostachys!
Also know that those little rhizomes have an amazing ability to sniff out a good water supply, especially in a dry climate like California. That means, if you have some bamboo in the ground, and one of your neighbors has a drip irrigation in their herb garden, or they regularly run their sprinkles to keep the lawn green, it’s very likely that your bamboo will send out runners headed straight for that water source.
It’s like the bamboo has a kind of plant ESP. But just wait till those well-watered roots start sprouting up new shoots in the neighbor’s perfect lawn like UFOs (Underground F#@&ing Objects). Don’t expect them to be welcomed with open arms.
And don’t think you can just yank those unwanted sprouts from the soil like a handful of pesky dandelions. It’s not unheard of for people to rent a backhoe or a bulldozer to really clear out an established stand of bamboo. Otherwise, count on spending a few hours with a spade, maybe a pick ax, maybe even a Sawzall (reciprocating saw), to keep those running rhizomes at bay. And you’ll need to do that sort of maintenance at least once or twice a year if you really want to keep your bamboo from getting the upper hand.
How to Contain your BambooAfter many centuries of man and bamboo butting heads, and bamboo almost always coming out the winner, some brilliant gardener(s) finally devised a virtually impenetrable system of bamboo containment to help keep your grass where it belongs.
Today you can (and should!) buy sheets of extremely durable black polyethylene, about 1.5 mm in thickness, and usually 24″ to 30″ in width. It’s normally available on a roll, anywhere from 25 to 100 feet in length. You might think 24″ is plenty. After all, who wants dig a 3 foot trench all the way around their hedge? But trust me, use at least 30″, you’ll be better off in the long run. Like I said before, never underestimate the perseverance of a bamboo.
The most popular, most effective, tried and true bamboo containing material is available online from Amazon. It’s the DeepRoot Bamboo Barrier, 30″ deep by 100 ft roll. This stuff is nearly invincible, going a serious 2.5 feet underground, and the 100-ft roll gives you enough length to contain a pretty major privacy hedge. Consider it a few hundred bucks well spent on your peace of mind and good neighbor relations.
Another less expensive alternative to consider is Bamboo Shield’s 24″ by 100 foot roll.
Bamboo Shield also offers shorter rolls with deeper coverage to contain the most aggressive bamboo specimens, all available at Amazon. Check out the Bamboo Shield 30″ by 50 foot roll, or the extra heavy duty Bamboo Shield 36″ by 25 foot roll .
How to Remove BambooOK, so it’s already too late. You or your neighbor let some bamboo run free, and now it’s just out of control. Is there an easy way to get rid of it? Well yes, there are ways to get rid of it. But none of them are easy.
First you’ll need to cut it down to the ground, as low as possible. And then start digging. Pull out roots and rhizomes as you go. And keep on digging. If it’s a particularly tenacious variety you may want to reach for a pick ax or a hand saw. If nothing else works, or your back just isn’t up for this type of labor, your best best will be the Sawzall. As the name suggests, these things saw through anything.
The top of the line piece is Makita’s Cordless Recipro Saw Kit, sold complete with saw blades and an extra battery.
Or you could save a few bucks with a similar Dewalt 12 Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw.
In any case, don’t let these tools and cautionary tales frighten you out of planting an amazing grove of bamboo. With proper preparation, these incredible products make it possible for even the suburban gardener to plant an astonishing stand that the whole neighborhood can enjoy!
Further ReadingTo learn more about expert bamboo gardening, check out some of our other popular articles.
How to Grow Bamboo: The Ultimate Guide Running Bamboo: Why would you plant it? Pros and Cons of potted bamboo What’s so great about bamboo? 20 Best Bamboo Gardens in the WorldPhoto Credit: Bamboo rhizomes resisting containment (Wikipedia)
After some 10 or 20 thousand years of cultivation, bamboo’s popularity may in fact be at an all-time high. Of course, 10,000 years ago, there were a lot fewer people around to exchange gardening tips. But it’s also true that more and more people today are recognizing bamboo for its utility, versatility, aesthetic beauty, and all-around sense of good joo-joo.
Though it’s been revered in the Far East for these same qualities for many thousands of years, it’s taken a few extra centuries for this thing of wonder to reach the west and spread like wildfire. Not unlike a few other things I can think of. Yoga and sushi quickly come to mind.
As if sorting through the options of bamboo toothbrushes and bamboo towels weren’t challenging enough, consider now that if you’re looking to plant a few varieties of bamboo in your garden, you’ll have between 1-2,000 species to choose from. Even the bamboo specialists can’t agree on the actual number of bamboo breeds. But no need to split hairs over speciation. Today we’d like to help you narrow it down to the 10 best bamboo varieties for your garden.
Two Types of BambooSome people like to say that there are types of bamboo: runners and clumpers. Of course, that’s a sweeping generalization, because, like I said, there are really something like 1-2,000 species of bamboo. Not only that, but there are also slow runners and aggressive clumpers, and a number of other factors that could affect the growth habit of your bamboo. Having said that, this still remains the simplest way to think of bamboos.
RUNNERSMost bamboos are runners, meaning that they send out rhizome roots racing underground in pursuit of moisture and elbow room. If you’re looking to plant a privacy hedge that will spread quickly along a fence line, or you just enjoy watching a voracious plant as it wields its dominion over the landscape, then this is the way to go. They also tend to be the easiest to find, especially at non-specialist nurseries, because they do propagate so easily.
But be careful, and think before you plant. The old adage about bamboo says that, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.” In other words, you might not think it’s a runner after the first year, but by the third or forth year, you almost certainly will, and so will your neighbors.
Running bamboos have no respect for property lines. If the neighbor to the one side is regularly sprinkling his perfectly manicured lawn, or the neighbor on the other side is constantly irrigating her prize-winning rose bushes, it won’t take long (especially in a dry place like California) for those eager rhizomes to sniff out those delicious water sources and wreak havoc on the roses, the lawn, the vegetable patch, the herb garden, and pretty much everything in sight. There goes the neighborhood!
So how do you avoid this un-neighborly catastrophe? Here are a few options:
Allow your running bamboo plenty of room to spread. If you’re gardening in a tightly-squeezed suburban subdivision, then you probably will not have plenty of room. If you’re trying to fill out and green up some vacant acreage, then that’s more like it. Keep you bamboo well-contained. There are a number of ways to do this, ranging from a simple solution like planting into a old wine barrel (or half barrel) to burying any manner of rhizome barrier into the ground. Just remember, with time and pressure, there’s almost nothing that stop those roots from spreading. So whatever you put into the ground, plant it thick and deep. (Check out our tips on bamboo containment.) Get your hands dirty and prune your bamboo regularly. That means not only trimming back the shoots, but going underground and cutting back those vigorous roots. Look for smaller and slower running bamboos, like some of the ground cover varieties. But keep an eye on them. Sometimes they look sleepy on the surface, even while the roots are constructing an invisible empire underground. Find some clumping bamboo and plant those instead.The fact is, many of the most interesting and attractive bamboo species are runners. They also tend to be less expensive and easier to find in nurseries. So now that you’ve been warned, here are a few great bamboo varieties to look for.
Phyllostachys vivaxYou’ll definitely want to allow some extra space for this tremendous timber bamboo that easily reaches 20 to 50 feet in height, with culms up to 4 or 5 inches in diameter. As you can imagine, it will also have a pretty massive footprint. But for anyone who’s got the space for it, this majestic grass could be a prized specimen and the envy of bamboo enthusiasts all around.
I planted one of these in my suburban backyard in San Luis Obispo, and kept it in a 15 gallon pot for fear of it overtaking the neighborhood. After 5 or 6 years it never looked unhealthy, but it sure never reached the kind of stature described above. It really needs room to spread out.
As mentioned above, it’s a pretty good idea to keep your running bamboo in a pot or container. But this is not the perfect solution. If you place the pot on the dirt, the roots will eventually crawl through the drain hole and get into the ground. Better to put the pots on a patio or a large stepping stone in the garden.
And if you do manage to contain your running bamboo, be aware, it will never reach full size. This is especially the case with a timber bamboo. In ideal conditions, the Vivax plant is a magnificent thing to behold. But in a pot it will just sort of languish. So unless you have a great deal of space, there’s not much point in trying to grow a running timber bamboo in a pot.
For best results, plant your Vivax in the ground, but also surround it with a strong root barrier. Give it a wide berth, room to spread at least 8 to 10 feet in diameter. Then bury your root barrier nice and deep. And check up on it regularly. Left unchecked, a running timber bamboo can tear through your industrial root barrier.
Semiarundinaria fastuosaAnother very impressive variety, its regal appearance has earned this one the nickname of “Temple Bamboo.” It’s a catchy name, and also MUCH easier to pronounce! Temple Bamboo bamboo can get to be 20 or 30 feet in height, but its richly colored culms don’t grown much larger than an inch or so in diameter.
I also planted one of these in a 15 gallon container, but it didn’t take long to break out and proliferate around the yard. But with such handsome shoots, I just couldn’t bring myself to uproot them. This really is a beautiful species of bamboo, with its long, straight, elegant canes.
Even though my Temple Bamboo got into the ground, it never seemed to get really out of control. After 5 or 6 years, the plant was still only about 5 feet in diameter, and less than 10 feet tall. Perhaps if we lived somewhere warmer and rainier, it would have grown more aggressively.
Also, I rarely fed this plant anything more than an annual serving of compost from our own garden. We had very sandy soil conditions, not so rich in nutrients. But the advantage was in how easily I could dig into the sand and prune the roots. I would do this regularly, because people would often admire the beauty of this plant and ask for a cutting.
Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo)The distinctively dark brown (not quite black) shoots make this one of the most popular strains of bamboo, and any nursery that sells bamboo is likely to have some of this on hand. As the plant matures, the dark color of the culms grows richer, making for a very attractive contrast against the bright green leaves.
Native to the Hunan Province of southern China, gardeners now cultivate black bamboo all over the world. Although it thrives best in its own subtropical habitat, it can grow very well in USDA zones 7-10. If planted in rich, loamy soil, black bamboo can get 20 to 30 feet tall with mature culms of 2″ in diameter.
A healthy specimen can easily act as the centerpiece in a garden, with its distinctly dark canes, and its billowing foliage. Once harvested and dried, black bamboo is also excellent to work with. The richly-colored poles lend themselves to any number of decorative uses, from fencing to furniture.
Pseudosasa japonica (arrow bamboo)Also quite popular, arrow bamboo earned its name from its long, strong, straight poles, which Samurai warriors once used to make arrows. Today it’s a great choice for planting in shady corners of the garden. Also, though technically classified as a runner, it has a far more restrained growth habit than most bamboos of that class. The broad green leaves make this a very vibrant and attractive specimen.
Arrow bamboo is an excellent candidate for privacy screens as it grows thick and dense. Its height, usually about 12 to 16 feet, makes it more manageable as well. An especially good choice for privacy hedges with height restrictions.
This variety does need to be well watered. If you’re in a dry climate like Southern California, arrow bamboo will not be your best choice. Try to keep it in a shady area that gets a lot of water run off.
Dwarf Green StripeOne of the few bamboos that can be cultivated as a ground cover, this specimen makes an excellent accent alongside larger bamboo varieties, around Japanese pines, and in any sort of Asian themed garden setting. Its compact size also makes it much easier to contain, despite its being a runner. Just keep an eye on those roots!
Unlike other striped varieties of bamboo, this one has stripes on its leaves rather than it canes. They are bright yellow with a deep green variegation. The more sunlight it gets, the lighter the yellow becomes, turning almost white. The green culms are barely thicker than a blade of grass, and rarely grow more than 2 or 3 feet tall.
Dwarf green stripe is a fairly cold hardly species, but it may look less vibrant during a cold winter. Some gardeners will mow it back in the winter. When it comes back in the spring, it’s even thicker and more colorful than before.
CLUMPERSWhile the most impressive varieties of bamboo tend to be runners, the conscientious gardener is always on the look out for a good breed of clumping bamboo. They might not always display the awesome meter-a-day growth of some fabled bamboos of the tropics, or the massive culms that make you want to reach out your arms for a bear hug, but they can lend an exotic charm to any small scale zen oasis or Japanese garden.
Now before you rush over to Home Depot, or your nearest box store discount nursery, and start asking sales clerks for their recommendations on clumping bamboos, keep in mind that very few people — nursery employees included — can reliably distinguish a runner from a clumper. And as long as clumpers remain more expensive, more sought after, and harder to come by, it’s easy to imagine how unreliable certain sales people could be.
With that in mind, I’d like to recommend a couple of my favorite bamboo nurseries in California: Bamboo Sourcery in Sebastopol and Bamboo Giant near Santa Cruz. These guys really know their bamboo. But if you want my opinion, here are a few of my favorite clumpers.
Bambusa oldhamiiAn old favorite, Oldhamii is said to be the most widely grown variety of bamboo in all of the United States. You might say it’s an old standard. Native to Taiwan, it does have a preference for the tropical climes and is not very cold hardy. But with shoots reaching up to 60 feet or more (under ideal conditions) and growing up to about 4 inches in diameter, it’s certainly an impressive specimen, particularly for a clumper. You’d have to agree, it’s an oldie but a goodie!
Oldhamii is also a popular choice for a privacy hedge, with its bushy leaves and dense, upright canes. The thick poles make an excellent building material, too. And many bamboo enthusiasts will eat the sweet, young shoots of this variety. With so many uses, it’s hard to think of a reason NOT to plant a grove of Oldhamii.
Otatea acuminata (Mexican Weeping Bamboo)With its slender stalks and delicate, wispy leaves, this delightfully compact specimen looks good in nearly any garden. All it needs is a gentle breeze to make it really come alive. It also prefers warmer climates. I grew some in a cool, coastal climate, and it always looked happy.
A versatile species, this bamboo does well in a variety of conditions. Near the ocean, it’s not bothered by the salty sea spray. In California, it can tolerate the dryness. It’s native to Northern Mexico, after all. But it’s also cold hardy down to about 20º F. And in small gardens, the weeping bamboo does quite well in a pot.
The thin poles grow up to 10 or 15 feet tall, but the gracefully cascading leaves are what give the plant its unique appeal.
Buddha’s Belly (subspecies of Bambusa vulgaris)With a catchy named derived from the bulbous shape of its internodes, Buddha’s Belly is one of the easiest species to recognize and one of the largest varieties of clumping bamboo. Some poles also grow zigzag instead of upright. But whatever it lacks in straight and narrow poise, it more than makes up for with portly character. This subtropical variety also does better in the warmer zones.
The most common variety of Buddha Belly is the Bambusa ventricosa, which gets about 30 feet tall with 2 to 3 inch culms. Giant Buddha Belly can grow up to 45 feet tall, with the entire clump spreading to about 15 feet in width. Perhaps the most beautiful variety is the Yellow Buddha Belly Bamboo (Bambusa ventricosa kimmei) which puts up green shoots that gradually turn yellow and take an lovely striped effect.
There’s also a dwarf variety which stays more short and compact. This one is especially suitable for bonsai purposes.
To encourage the culms to bulge out and make the distinctive Buddha Belly shape more pronounced, gardeners have a few tricks. It’s important to prune the bamboo at least once a year. By preventing the plant from growing upward, it will tend to grow a more outward and zigzagged. Also, a little water deprivation can cause just enough stress to make more bulbous culms. If too many of your culms are not looking belly-like, try watering it once a week instead of twice a week, or maybe even less.
See our in-depth article on Buddha Belly Bamboo for more details.
Alphonse KarrExquisitely elegant, this variety is easy to recognize with its green and yellow racing stripes. Even amidst a great collection of bamboos, this one is sure to stand out. In ideal conditions, it can get up to 20 feet, and the culms grow to about 1 inch in diameter.
Although slower growing, Alphonse Karr is a popular choice for hedging because of its attractive poles. To accentuate the colorful stripes, try pruning back all the leaves from the bottom 3 feet or so of the plant.
Native to the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Alphonse is much happier in warm climates. Avoid planting it in USDA zone below 7 or 8.
Himalayacalamus hookerianus (Himalayan Blue)The richly colored, powdery blue culms give this bamboo an especially attractive appearance. Indigenous to the mountains of China, it also does better in warmer and subtropical regions. But it grows especially well around ponds and in containers. Culinary tip: fresh shoots of the Himalayan Blue are edible and are said to be quite tasty. Anyone for stir fry?
ConclusionsBefore you decide which bamboo to plant in your garden, you’ll need to consider how much space you have and what you are trying to achieve. Do you want something compact and decorative? Or are you looking for something that will spread quickly and provide a lot of privacy? Or maybe you’re growing bamboo for the canes, and you have a construction project in mind.
Based on your needs, you can select a runner or a clumping variety, something short or something tall. And then plant it in the appropriate spot in your garden. Or, better yet, choose a few different varieties of bamboo, and create beautiful space that brings many pleasing characteristics together.
And once you’ve finished selecting and planting your bamboo varieties, you might consider adding a bamboo fountain somewhere for an added sense of zen. Then it’s just a matter of sitting quietly and waiting for the breeze to come through, rustling the leaves and knocking the canes.
I hope you’ve found these suggestions helpful. If you have a favorite bamboo that we were unable to include in this short list, go ahead and let us know in the comments section. Meanwhile, happy gardening!
By the way, if you found this interesting and informative, be sure to take a look at out some of our other stimulating articles.
Growing Bamboo: The complete how-to guide The best bamboo varieties for constructionPhoto Credit: Wikipedia
Check it out! DIY Garden presents The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Own Kale! This superfood boasts deep, earthy flavors that can range from rich and meaty to herbaceous and slightly bitter. And it is easy peasy to grow! Here’s the link.
UPDATE: In 2018 we published a much more thorough article on selecting the Best Bamboos for Your Garden, as well as a special article on Cold Hardy Bamboo.
By now you’ve probably heard a thing or two about the many virtues of bamboo — its versatility, its sustainability, its indispensability. And you’ve no doubt admired its beauty, as it flourishes among pagodas in Japanese gardens, on the patios of Thai restaurants and sushi bars, and on-screen in some of your favorite kung fu movies.
But you may have also heard horror stories about people planting bamboo and soon finding it completely out of control. Perhaps a neighbor planted some and within a couple years it was all up in your flower bed choking out your roses and suffocating your award-winning bearded irises. Indeed, bamboo can be aggressive, sustainable in the worst kind of way, downright indestructible.
So how can you ornament you garden with this incredible plant without running into deep regrets 3 or 4 years down the road?
First and foremost, unless you really really know what you’re doing or really really don’t care, keep your bamboo in a container. Bamboo looks great in pots, and in something like an old wine barrel it has plenty of room to prosper, without encroaching on your crocus or tickling your tulips.
Secondly, it’s helpful to realize that there are some 1500 varieties of bamboo, with various personalities and growth habits. People tend to divide them into two groups: runners and clumpers. Runners are the aggressive ones that run amok in your lawn and garden, whereas clumpers generally stay pretty compact.
This division can be helpful, but dividing 1500 species into 2 groups can also be a very misleading oversimplification. If you plant a clumper alongside a regularly sprinkled lawn, the grassy clumper will quickly gravitate toward the sprinklers and start looking a lot like a runner. Likewise, if you plant a runner in a chilly climate like the high sierras or upstate New York, it might end up behaving more like a clumper.
Also, bamboos are notoriously difficult to identify — thousands of varieties and most of them look very similar. Even nurseries get them mixed up, especially those that don’t specialize in bamboos. And it might take a few years for you to realize that your friendly clumper was really a pathological runner in disguise.
There’s an old saying about bamboo: The first year in sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps. Do not underestimate the eastern wisdom!
With that in mind, here are eight species of bamboo to consider for accenting your garden.
· Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra) – one of the most highly sought after species, black bamboo is named for the very dark color of its stalks. At maturity this legendary runner can get up to an inch or two in diameter and as much as 30″ tall.
· Mexican Weeping Bamboo (Otatea acuminata) – with its delicate, draping foliage, this clumping variety makes a nice ornamental accent. In a container it’s unlikely to get taller than 6 feet.
· Timber (Phyllostachys Vivax) – like most members of the phyllostachys, this ones a runner. It’s popular for its great size. When planted in the ground and well feed it can get 4-5 inches in diameter and up to 60 feet tall.
· Temple (Semiarundinaria Fastuosa) – a personal favorite of mine, this regal looking bamboo grows very tall, straight and compact. Growing up to 20 or 30 feet high, and about 1.5″ in diameter, it’s about the largest hardy bamboo you can find, for those of you in freezing climates.
· Arrow (Pseudosasa Japonica) – known as a “running clumper,” this makes an excellent privacy screen, tall and dense. It grows up to about 15 feet with thick foliage. Easily recognizable for its unusually large leaves – up to 12″ long.
· Old Ham’s (Bambusa Oldhammi) – another very popular variety, Old Ham’s grows very tall and straight. A giant tropical bamboo, it clumps tightly but grows vigorously.
· Golden (Phyllostachys Aurea) – one of the most popular varieties because it is so widely available. That’s because it’s an aggressive runner that’s easy to propagate. Good for a rapidly expanding privacy hedge, but very difficult to remove. Beware of infestations!
· Square Bamboo (Chimonobambusa Quadrangularis) – especially interesting for its squarish (rather than round) culms. Also unusual because it flowers every few years. But it usually dies after flowering, making it a pretty short-lived variety.
