Since we are a little bit too far north for the black bamboo to survive the winters it must be taken in each winter. Truth be told, this poor fella hasn’t been outside in over a year. It spent the winter of 06/07 and most of 07 in my office and last winter [...]
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on Apr 17, 2008, 8:19AM
Posted by kerry Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2008-04-18, 06:02:46
We've just moved into a new home, and the yard is overrun with bamboo. Is there anything we can do (besides just yanking the plants out) to get rid of it? (answer).
Perhaps no other material has received as much press when it comes to “going green” as bamboo. And, I might argue, for good reason. It’s versatile (just read on to learn about the myriad of products that can be made from bamboo) and sustainable. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning, when the bamboo is still in the ground. . .
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Posted by Julie Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2008-02-14, 06:02:06
We just installed some Blue Bamboo in an office lobby in Pleasanton, and after a little transplant stress, it's coming out with so many new shoots and leaves:
Himalayacalamus hookerianus
Closeup of a delicate new shoot after the break....
How do you propagate a plant that only flowers every 60 to 120 years? Certainly not from seed.
And division isn't all that easy either - especially when it relates to non-invasive species of bamboo. You can rule out grafting, cuttings, leaf propagation, root propagation: all of them are fairly redundant when it comes to reproducing a plant wrongly stigmatized as a pest. . . .
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on Jul 17, 2007, 9:02PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2007-07-18, 18:52:36
I was given a bamboo shoot about three inches long in a cup of water, and was told to change the water every two weeks. Question: Will the bamboo grow in soil, and if so, how often do I water it and what kind of soil do I use? (answer).
I have always loved bamboo in landscaping. The scenes in the bamboo grove in House of Flying Daggers were just too beautiful. So I was quite happy to get the one pot of bamboo they had at the garden center, from which I hope to have a grove in a few years. The first two pics are of the variety I got-fully grown at the garden centre. The other two pics are of bamboo in the landscaping at the Villa Santi resort, Laung Prabang, Laos. . . .
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Posted by Nicole Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2007-05-09, 23:52:42
A growing part of the population in cooler regions is becoming interested in bamboo plants. More often associated with tropical and sub-tropical areas, bamboo plants can be grown in regions...
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on Apr 6, 2007, 4:55AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2007-04-07, 23:22:14
Bamboo plants also lined the walking path we took yesterday. It is very robust and invasive and seems to have a strong presense in this natural area. (Note: Interestingly, this area was part of a small fire about two years ago. About 40 firefighters fought the fire for 30 minutes. Luckily, no person was injured but you can see the trees behind the bamboo are blackened.)
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Posted by earlysnowdrop Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2007-02-22, 16:27:16
Spring has sprung and fall has fell. Winter is here and it's colder than ... usual. So this week, Albert's greenhouse reviews a vacation to China and Japan last fall.
This bamboo forest is located near the ancient capital city of Kyoto, Japan. It's actually in a town called Arashiyama to the north of the city center, backed up against a mountainside.
Bamboo is, famously, a grass. It's one of the fastest growing plants, and a new shoot may literally grow feet per day. . . .
Bamboo has always had a bad rap from gardeners primarily because many home owners have planted invasive varieties. It would often be found clogging the whole side of someone's backyard as the owner viciously attacked it year after year trying to keep it under control. . . .
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on Feb 5, 2007, 3:24PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2007-02-08, 17:16:09
This plant does well in Southern Connecticut gardens. It is considered invasive by some people but doesn’t really seem to spread or seed too much around here. If you are worried about it use one of the garden types that don’t seed. It is best to check in your area for growth habit and invasiveness. It really is a low maintenance plant for these parts. The berries are probably the nicest part but the foliage is a glossy green and also is attractive. The persistent berries can last well into winter and the birds like them. My favorite time is when the foliage is still green and the red berries come out. Add a pinch of snow and that is fabulous. For people with less space try one of the dwarf types.
Down here in the subtropics of New Orleans, we love to plant banana trees and we love to plant bamboo. There are red dwarf bananas, medium sized bananas and the huge ones that produce fruits you can pick and eat. Each and every one of them is invasive and you will soon have banana trees sprouting all over your yard and your neighbor's. If you plant bananas close enough to your pond, they will sprout up through your liner. I have seen them come up through 45 mil EPDM liner, so beware of bananas. . . .
I bought two more bamboo from Bamboo Garden in Oregon to help screen out the new development behind our house. Good prices and fast delivery. Ned Jaquith is a very nice person to deal with, though no online ordering. These are not very hardy, only to zone 7 so I'm taking a chance by planting them in zone 6 but they'll go in sheltered places in the yard and hopefully with heavy mulching they will survive. I bought them mainly because of the beautifully colored stalks, a deep yellow to orange yellow. Here's a link that shows the color. And another site.
Here's a great bamboo cold hardiness chart from the Needmorebamboo site if you're thinking of planting some and don't know which variety to plant in your zone.
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on Oct 13, 2006, 8:00AM
Posted by Ki Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-10-14, 00:29:33
Several new houses are being built behind our home. Unfortunately one was sited almost directly opposite our backyard and deck and is built as close to the property line as the ordinances allow. It feels like we are totally exposed especially when the shell of the house indicated that many windows were to be placed on two levels. There are 5 windows and a sliding glass door on the lower level and 8 windows on the second floor! I can't believe there are so many windows on the back of the house. Usually there are very few. . . .
Bamboo, that's brave. Hope it doesn't take over! -OR
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on Oct 5, 2006, 1:06PM
Posted by Ki Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-10-06, 00:14:35
Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Green Perfume’ is a new winter-hardy bamboo, which is shortly to be introduced to gardeners by Dutch bamboo specialist Jan Oprins. It is will be sold in garden centres under the "Bamboo Select" brand. Originating from China, it is a straight, upright-growing plant, which reaches a height of 5-8m (16-26ft). Compared with other Phyllostachys species and cultivars, this bamboo has relatively small leaves, but stalks that are fairly thick. The shoots are edible. When the young stalks are rubbed the scent of incense is released. This bamboo is difficult to propagate and has so far only been increased commercially in-vitro, but the company producing it have said that it should be freely available from September onwards. It enjoys damp conditions and flourishes in wet soils. . . .
I especially like Lucky Bamboo. Over the years I have bought many stalks of it, usually on ebay. It lives in water, no soil needed. I recently had two containers of it in our bathroom and it was doing fine, but Jeanne was not. She was being eaten at night by mosquitoes. They were hatching in the bamboo water. . .
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on Jul 26, 2006, 6:28PM
Posted by Gary Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-07-27, 11:10:10
I am thrilled. I talked with my local nursery a few weeks ago, and they ordered a dozen 8-foot bamboo poles for me. They arrived on Saturday and I have been busy building teepees for the last two days. I use the structure of the poles to provide support for twine stretched between them. Once constructed, the teepees will be used to support my tomatoes, cukes, and pole beans.
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on Jun 20, 2006, 8:07PM
If you have a small pond, you could try making your own bamboo fountain. I suspect you wouldn't have to make it out of bamboo either if you had a more modern garden. A bevy of stainless steel gongs and clackings could be tuned to different sounds and a melody (or cacophany depending on your mood) could be quickly created.
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on Jun 7, 2006, 10:57AM
I do have the best husband ever and he proved it again Sunday by tackling my overgrown bamboo! He thinned out the skinny, older clums and we're left with the taller ones as well as the many new shoots coming...
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on Jun 6, 2006, 4:02PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-06-07, 11:23:19
After choosing and planting your desired variety of bamboo, whether it be a clump form or a running variety the maintenance is essentially the same. Do nothing for the first three years. After the initial establishment stage remove the three year old and older canes at the ground.
Take care to over thin the plant as it creates its own shade for optimal growth. Care should also be given to hedging bamboo. Remove the tops to create the hedge at a desired height. Do not remove all the foliage from a cane you don't intend to remove as it will most likely die.
To maintain a running variety prune out the canes along the edges of the grove. (A mower will help maintain new growth.) Consider using a barrier. A metal, concrete or other impenetrable material buried 20-24 into the soil will aid in localized containment of bamboo.
Your greatest benefit from...
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on May 25, 2006, 10:00AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-05-26, 23:10:31
I've always had an appreciation for an Asian-inspired aesthetic, but the idea of "theme" decorating leaves me with a severe case of Decor Rage, so you wouldn't know about this proclivity except for the occasional vase or obi in my...
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on May 19, 2006, 2:45PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-05-20, 16:12:01
Q Our neighbors recently built a second-story addition to their house, and now their upstairs window looks right into our kitchen. I miss being able to walk around my kitchen in my underwear. I want to use bamboo as a screen because I love the look and it would go perfectly with our Japanese maples, but my husband says it's dangerous -- always popping up in the wrong places. Is there any way to plant bamboo safely?
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to bamboo on 2006-04-02, 10:33:18
We've just moved into a new home, and the yard is overrun with bamboo. Is there anything we can do (besides just yanking the plants out) to get rid of it? (the answer).
Up till this weekend I had not ordered anything garden-wise for this coming gardening season. I picked up what seeds I’ve planted so far locally. There is a Southern States nearby and is my favorite place to get beans, spinach, beets etc. You get a huge amount of seed for next to nothing. They are a farm products store, I’ve even picked up vaccinations for my pets there.
