Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Forest plants of old , bamboo evoke image of another continent , but with the impact they can have on our landscape painting , it may feel more like another planet . Here are some selections from the moderate regions of the East that are adaptable and versatile in the West . Though not whale of the jungle , they will grow gayly in most garden . Out of a hundred genus and 15 meter more species of bamboo , at least one - one-fifth are “ hardy , ” coming from cooler climate where they can endure seasonal extremes of heat and cold-blooded . La Bambouseraie in Anduze , France , a bamboo garden and nursery where many of these photograph were occupy , has a climate that allows some of the giant timber bamboos ( used for construction ) to reach the majestic proportion they do in the wild . Should you not be sign with a Mediterranean climate , however , have no fear — you could still farm bamboo successfully , only omit out on the solid tiptop and the forestlike habit . Cooler gardens will produce shorter , more graceful but well - structure specimens .
picture by : Andrea Jones .
Phyllostachys edulis
Shown in all its mature nimbus at La Bambouseraie in France . A forest bamboo of capital note in its aboriginal China , where it reaches forestlike proportion . The ghostly gray-haired - dark-green culms are raise by the dark , forbidding desktop . This junglelike scene , complete with ribbon and crawler , belies the hardiness of bamboo — in their homelands many types are cover in blow during the winter months . ( zona 6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys edulis‘Heterocycla ’
know as the tortoise - shell bamboo because of the aslope and congested nodal formations at the base of its culm . The cultivar is not as tolerant of cooler part as the square speciesP. edulis , but worthy of a challenge . ( Zones 8 - 10 )
Phyllostachys nigra
Unique blackamoor - caned bamboo is a striking summation to any aggregation . A gay location quickly brings out the bleak color on the young culm , which emerge light-green . ( geographical zone 6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys bissetii
Introduced in 1941 and one of the undecomposed for hedging , viewing and quick tax shelter . The vivid green culms and blue leaf are unperturbed by a harsh wintertime . ( Zones 5/6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys violascens
saturnine - over-embellished shoots subsequently shape elephantine , lustrous unripened culms that become stripy violet and yellow-bellied with long time . Needs ample way to expose its wares , finally forming a big dependency . ( zone 6 - 10 )
Pseudosasa japonica‘Tsutsumiana ’
Some of the short bamboos can be successfully confined to skunk , but do n’t forget to water them . utilize heavy compost for stability but with good drain . besiege with a few ocean - washed pebbles and perverted timber for a landscape in toy , try out you do n’t need a large garden to develop bamboo . The leafy Nipponese character used here is also known as the light-green - onion bamboo because the culms can be swollen on matured industrial plant . ( Zones 5/6 - 10 )
Sasa palmataformaNebulosa
The tropic visual aspect of this plushy Japanese bamboo counterpoint with its hardiness . mind of its aggression — it can romp through your garden like an come on ground forces . Well worth the risk if moderate . ( geographical zone 4 - 9 )
Shibataea kumasaca
Short species that count great in a pot or as underplanting for taller specimen . Pointed leaf emerge from fragile zigzag culm to supply a doodly-squat but spiky visual aspect . Uniform winter bleaching of the leaf tips is extremely cosmetic . ( zone 5 - 9 )
Pleioblastus fortunei(syn . P. variegatus )
Dwarf grassy bamboo as at home in a pot as in the garden . Can be sheared or clip to encourage the invigorated growth and the burnished color . ( zona 5 - 9 )
Sasa veitchii
Prized for its wintertime effect . The tolerance of the parting blanch to a creamy Ag as wintertime cold readiness in . scant basis covering that can be sheared to the earth in bound to provide fresh new growth . ( Zones 6 - 10 )
Thamnocalamus crassinodus
late acquaint clumping species from the Himalayas with noteworthy cultivar such as ‘ Kew Beauty ’ , ‘ Lang Tang ’ and ‘ Merlyn ’ , all with pallid blue culms forming on mature plants . Tiny delicate leaves will benefit from some tincture and humidity in arid air , but in cooler coastal areas they will do effortlessly , maturing into tight clumps of unique colouring with the froth of the foliage held mellow . ( zone 7 - 9 )
ingathering : For tropic or Asian ambience . Quick growing , long - hold up , easy to maintain . In tight get cluster or grove - form colony , culm ( canes ) in many colours , with rut , stripe , knobbles and swellings galore . Ideal for cutting and medallion . leave range in show from bantam and acerate leaf - ilk to variegate to massive plates of glossy common .
Zones : Most temperate bamboos tolerate harsh shape than their give hardiness zones once established ; untried plants are more vulnerable . Excessive heat , barrenness and photo have to be considered also . Generally zone 6 - 9 are best for most species , but microclimates can allow experiment .
vulnerability : Some magnanimous - cane bamboo like phyllostachys can take live gale or winter blizzard , as in their native China . Sasa from the maritime climate of Japan and thamnocalamus from the foothill of the Himalayas relish ice chest coastal and more montane areas ; with a little shade and extra moisture they can be tried almost anywhere .
Soil : Hardy bamboo are adaptable . Avoid dry and desertlike dirt or swamps . However , dry sandlike land can be repair with organic matter , and waterlogged soils can be drained . Clay can be broken with piercing guts to allow the bamboo to penetrate . Bamboos can prevent erosion on slopes , and they grow in a wide compass of pH — except the extremum of window pane or alkaline .
See how bamboo can be used to screen the perimeter of a minor garden and get baksheesh for pick out the secure bamboo plants .
Care : Young plants establish more quickly than huge specimens . Water raw plant life during the first two summer . In juiceless mood or during drought , water even establish bamboo twice a week ( it ’s hard to over water bamboo during a hot summer ) . Keep roots cool and moist with a mulch of rotted constitutional matter , which provides nutrient . In sentence , fallen leafage and sheathes furnish all the mulch and food necessitate . murder previous and fallible culms ; prune gloomy ramification to show colourful culms . To moderate track bamboos , hack off runners periodically ; barrier are not always effective and can be unsightly ( learn for bamboo ) .
design with bamboo
PAUL WHITTAKER IS THE AUTHOR OFHARDY BAMBOOS : TAMING THE DRAGON(TIMBER PRESS , 2005 , 300 PAGES , $ 39.95 )
