All About Bamboo

Bamboo is...

Pest-Free & Evergreen - It consists largely of silica, which is not desirable to insects and inhibits diseases. Most bamboos are evergreen in temperate climates.

Diverse & Adaptable - There are 70 genera and 2400 known species. Heights range from 2 inches to 100 feet. Culms can be black, blue, yellow, pink, brown, or green. Leaves may be variegated green and white or green and yellow.

Collectible - Our collectors list includes approximately 70 additional species, many of which are rare and unusual.

Not an Exotic Plant - Though few gardeners in the United States are familiar with it, bamboo is perhaps the plant best known in many parts of the world, where it is part of the fabric of life - enjoyed as a food, used as a building material, and revered for its hardy, evergreen elegance and utility. There is one species that is native to the U.S. - Switch Cane Bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea), whose habitat is the Southeast region of the country.

Edible - All bamboos are edible. The Phyllostachys  are most commonly used for eating because the shoots are large in diameter. The best choice is Phyllostachys dulcis (Sweetshoot bamboo) which has a sweet, nutty flavor with no trace of bitterness.

Characteristics

The growth pattern of bamboo differs from that of most woody plants. Once a year, usually in May or June, new growth occurs as a bamboo shoot, or culm, emerges from the ground completely pre-formed - reaching full height in 6 to 8 weeks, and never changing diameter in its 7 to 12 year lifetime.

The potential growth of each variety is different and inherent, but development can be accelerated by providing the optimum growing conditions each variety prefers. A larger starter plant (based on the number of rhizomes present) will, with optimum growing conditions, establish a mature grove in a shorter time. A running bamboo in a number one container will cover an area 10 feet by 10 feet square in about 10 years and mature in 12 to 15 years. A number 3 container plant will cover an area 10 feet by 10 feet in 7 years and mature in 10 to 12 years.

Types of Bamboo

There are two---

Running Bamboos...

Spread by sending roots, or rhizomes, into the earth to a depth of about one foot. Some running bamboos are modest growers, while others can be very vigorous and invasive. Most running bamboos can be grown to huge proportions in the South and on the Western Seaboard.

Runners Fall Into Three Size Categories:

Phyllostachys (Giant Bamboo). These are the tallest of the species, ranging from 10 feet to over 100 feet. They prefer sun or partial shade.

Sasa and Indocalamus (Mid-Size Bamboo) Heights range from 4 to 15 feet. A shaded environment is preferred.

Pleioblastus (Groundcovers) Heights range from 1 to 4 feet. They prefer a sunny area for good foliage and vigor.

Clump-Forming Bamboos...

do not spread as runners do, but multiply upon themselves , creating a clump of roots which does not become invasive. Originating in the mountains of China, the Fargesias are the hardiest of all bamboos, remaining evergreen throughout the winter months and tolerating temperatures to -25*F.

Fargesia murielae (Umbrella Bamboo) and Fargesia nitida (Fountain Bamboo) are very similar, with pendulous foliage and a height of 10 to 12 feet. The major distinction is that murielae has powdery blue green culms while nitida has powdery purple culms and finer foliage.

Both Fargesia murielae and Fargesia nitida are magnificent specimen plants, 12 feet in height and .5 inches in diameter when mature. Underplanting is not necessary, however, and the Fargesias may be used to form a hedge with a wonderful weeping mass of delicate foliage. They may also be planted near the edge of a pond, where the water will reflect their pendulous silhouette.

Flowering

Usually signals the decline, severe weakening, or demise of the plant. Although groves of bamboo exist which are thousands of years old, the usual flowering cycle is species-dependent and ranges from 30 to 125 years. Fargesia murielae has recently flowered throughout the world; the plants now available have been grown from seed.