Growing bamboo in the UK.

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Finding the Spot

The winds of change haveblown through the gardening world during the last twenty years. With the moderntrends now turning towards smaller and more minimalist gardens and the rise inpopularity of planned low maintenance and theme gardens from oriental to moderncontemporary styles there has been a renewed interest in grasses and bamboos.

Many bamboos are undeniably exotic adding grace, form andmovement to a garden. Contrary to popular belief however most bamboos are notinvasive.

Bamboo in generalrequire little more than a moist fertile soils and an annual brush up. Thereare literally thousands of bamboos to choose from however only about seventycan be considered truly hardy and ornamental and suitable for planting in theUnited Kingdom.

When choosing a bamboo for your gardenyou are making an investment, some of the rarer and highly ornamental bamboosare expensive so you want to see that bamboo give you the returns that youdeserve. So like any investment it is important you give some consideration towhere you are going to put your money, or in this case your bamboo.
High exposure, poor placement, indifference will not produce the returns youwant.

In order to understand about where togrow bamboo successfully in your garden it's important to understand a littleabout their growth habits. Perhaps the most important thing to know if you areunfamiliar with bamboos is that bamboos are true grasses, they reproduce mostlyvegetatively that is by sending up new shoots from their roots or rhizomes.Flowering is very rare indeed sometimes only once in eighty years.

There are basically two distinct typesof root system "pachymorphic" (clump forming) and"leptomorphic" (running bamboos) we will just refer to them asclumpers and runners. Clumpers which include most of the Phyllostachys andFargesia species, in short it means the root system is short and terminateswith a new shoot that will produce single culms stem. In consequence clumperstend to be well behaved and suitable for planting as a specimen in a lawn forinstance.

Runners on the other hand are morerampant. The root system spreads out creeping through the ground in longfingers and throwing up shoots at regular intervals and they can rapidlycolonise large areas of a garden very quickly. It is the more rampant speciesof these runners Sasa and Indocalmus that probably gave bamboo its reputationfor being invasive. So unless you have a very large garden or you want toprevent soil erosion avoid the runners or restrict them to large pots orplanters where they can look stunning without causing the headache.

Consider the final size of the bambooyou choose in relation to the size of your garden. Bamboos can vary greatly,they all start out looking much the same in a two litre pots but a"Pseudosasa owattarii" may reach 1 meter (3 feet) in ten yearswhereas a Phyllostachys Bambusoides can reach 20 meters (65 feet) in itsnatural environment and regularly tops 10 meters (33 feet) in some temperateareas in the United Kingdom. Unless you want to keep Giant Pandas you need togive careful consideration to the final size of the specimens you plant in yourgarden. The other option again is of course garden planter or tubs. Bamboo insomeway similar to Koi Carp or Goldfish, as I call them, tend to grow inproportion to their environment in other words the larger the pot the largerthe plant and vice versa.

Most bamboos like most grasses andindeed I myself prefer a position that is in full sun and not exposed to theharshest of elements and sufficient to eat and drink plus a little TLC in orderto be completely happy. There are however a number of very rugged characterssuch as " Phyllostachys Bissettii" that can withstand the harshest ofconditions. So consider where you want to plant. If it is exposed choose anexposure tolerant bamboo, if the site is shaded choose a bamboo that preferslight shade such as " Fargesia Nitida . If the soil is dry orwatering is a problem choose a drought tolerant bamboo such as"Phyllostachys glauca"

Soil is not so much of a problem itcan always be improved. Apart from a few species which require either alkalineor acid soils the majority of bamboos are tolerant of most soil types as longas they are moist and fertile. Bamboo unlike other true grasses are hungryfeeders and the incorporation of good farmyard manure some bone meal or compostwill improve the soil admirably and be appreciated.

Try to keep the soil evenly moist but not over watered. Agood mulch will help prevent the soil from drying out too fast and add valuablehumus as it breaks down. I usually feed in the spring with a little bone mealand a watering can of Phostrogen at the maker's recommended dilution a few weeksprior to the culms emerging does not go amiss.

One point to note, do not clear awaythe fallen leaves from bamboo. They are a valuable source of silica which isessential for the bamboos strength and flexibility. If you have a gardenshredder you can shred these fallen leaves and any culms or canes removed andincorporate them in the soil or the mulch to replace the silica in the soilwhich will otherwise become depleted.

Bamboo on thewhole are pretty pest and disease resistant, but you may suffer from theoccasional infestation from aphids, mealy bugs or vine weevil. I am not opposedto using proprietary sprays to control these, after all if I had a headache Iwould probably take an aspirin. If you prefer there are a number of organicalternatives available and can be found at any good garden centre.

I If you are unfortunate to suffer anattack of Bamboo Mite then I would highly recommend you cut down the canes toground level and burn them and spray the surrounding area with a miticide.Don't fret though your bamboo will soon recover and generate a new array ofexotic culms and foliage for your pure delight.

All these bamboo plants and more available on-line at The Bamboo Store

For more details and information on your selected Bamboo click on the image.
	b1. Phyllostachys aureosulcata. 'The Golden CrookstemBamboo'
		Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata Canes lemon yellow turningto orange in the sun. Occasionally the canes zig-zag. It makes an excellentspecimen plant.
	b2. Phyllostachys aureosulcata Spectabilis 'Golden Groove Bamboo'
		Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata spectabilis Colourful and robust withgolden canes, green grooved and sometimes burnished with red on younggrowth.
	b3. Phyllostachys bissettii
		Bamboo Phyllostachysbissettii Bissettii always looks morning fresh!Grasshopper green. Shoots early spring and an excellent bamboo for screening. A very hardy bamboo.
	b4 Phyllostachys vivax aureocaulis. 'The Green BarcodeBamboo'
		Bamboo Phyllostachys vivaxaureocaulis Best yellow gold canesstriped randomly with green. Tidy and upright habit, sparse in leafshowing the thick canes off to good effect.
	b5. Phyllostachys vivax.'Huangwenzhu Inversa'
		Bamboo Phyllostachys vivax'Huangwenzhu Inversa' Green canes with a thickyellow stripe. Tidy and upright habit, sparse in leaf showing the canes of togood effect.
	b6. Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra. "Heizhu". 'The Black Bamboo'
		Phyllostachys nigra. 'The Black Bamboo' The now famous black canedbamboo. Prized as a highly ornamental species in China and Japan, and now very popular inthe West.
	b7.Bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoideslacrimadeae. 'The Goddess Tears' Bamboo
		The Goddess TearsBamboo New from China. An unusualornamental form of this wonderful species with similar vigour and stature.Black-purple markings on mature canes make this different from allthe others.
	b8 Bamboo Phyllostachysglauca.
		Bamboo Phyllostachysglauca. Young canes covered withdusty white powder. Green-Blue young canes. Capable of being grown almost anywhere. The most tolerant bamboo for damper areas.
	b9. Bambusa venticosa. 'TheBuddha's Belly Bamboo'. '
		Bamboo Bambusa venticosa. 'The Buddha's Belly Bamboo' Short bulged internodes.Not fully hardy in UK but still very popular. Keep hungry and hot for the best internodes or bellies.
	b10.Bamboo Pseudosasa ambilis. 'TheTeastick Bamboo' or 'Tonkin Cane'.'
		The Teastick Bamboo orTonkin Cane Upright leafy bamboo.Slower growing than japonica. Only just hardy in UK but still a lovely specimenin pots for a sheltered area.
	b11.Bamboo Shibataea kumasasa .'TheRuscus Leaved Bamboo'.'
		The Ruscus LeavedBamboo A native of Japan it isused extensively as an ornamental in China and Japan. An ideal container bamboosmall compact and very Zen.
	b12 Chimnobambusatumidissinoda. 'The Walking Stick Bamboo.''
		The Walking StickBamboo This wonderful and stillrare bamboo was only brought out of China for the first time in 1987. Used forcenturies to make walking sticks by the Yi people in Sezchuan, this bamboohas remained a closely kept secret.
	b13. Bamboo Phyllostachyshumilis.
		Phyllostachys humilis will reach only 5 meters or 16 feet in height. Culms emerge black orpurple aging to gorgeous amber yellow. Usually a well behaved bamboo with a white effervescent ring
	b14. Phyllostachys nuda. 'The Stone Bamboo'
		The Stone Bamboo Extensively cultivated inChina for its sweet shoots. New in the spring culms vary from blackish to wine red. A veryexposure tolerant bamboo.
	b15. Bamboo Hibanobambusa tranquillans.'Shiroshima
		A bi-generic Hybrid originating from mount Hibain Japan. One of the most beautifuland weather tolerant bamboos. Bold flat topped and dense. Brightly stripedgreen and off white variegated leaves.
	b16. Bamboo Fargesia nitida.'Jiuzhaigou 1''
		Introduced in 1995 from Jiuzhaigou NationalPark in Sezchuan Exposure and shadetolerant it makes a good wind break. Narrow upright habit. Deep green culmsemerge from pinky purple sheaths turning purple with age and then maturing to a washed amber.
	b17. Bamboo Phyllostachys Violascens.'The Grove Bamboo'
		Grove forming bamboo Impressively robust .Purple and yellow striped marked variegations, a little more than 'Tanakae.' It hasshort thick culms and will tolerate partial shade.
	b18. Bamboo Pleioblastusviridistriatus.
		Bright banana leaves. A beautiful banana yellowvariety and a slow spreader that enjoys full sun. This Bamboo originated fromJapan and was introduced to European gardens for it incredibly bright bananacoloured leaves with green striping.
	b19. Bamboo Semiarundinaria fastuosa.'The Noble Bamboo'
		The Noble bamboo Produces fine tallvertical clumps extremely useful where space is limited. This is anarchitectural bamboo, tall and elegant, stately. Well deserving its title of TheNoble Bamboo.
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