What type of bamboo should i plant

It is naturally bushy right down to the ground, giving the bamboo a very graceful appearance. However, the lower branches can be removed for a neater look. Slender weavers One of the most popular bamboos, slender weavers Bambusa textilis var. Established clumps can spread 1. While better suited to medium or large gardens, it can be managed if kept in contained planter beds or pots. Giant bamboo Dendrocalamus giganteus are only suitable for large gardens due to their extraordinary ability to shoot up.

However that does mean they are a fabulous choice for adding privacy - even to passing drones! Dwarf green stripe Pleioblastus sp.

What it lacks in stature it makes up for in impact - its striped yellow and green leaves making for a lush groundcover. This is just one of the low-growing forms of running bamboo of this species. It is best grown in a pot or planter bed lined with a root barrier. Needs ample room to display its wares, eventually forming a large colony. Use heavy compost for stability but with good drainage.

The leafy Japanese type used here is also known as the green-onion bamboo because the culms can be swollen on mature plants.

The tropical appearance of this lush Japanese bamboo contrasts with its hardiness. Beware of its aggression—it can romp through your garden like an advancing army. Well worth the risk if controlled. Short species that looks great in a pot or as underplanting for taller specimens. Pointed leaves emerge from thin zigzag culms to provide a squat but spiky appearance.

Uniform winter bleaching of the leaf tips is highly ornamental. Pleioblastus fortunei syn. Dwarf grassy bamboo equally at home in a pot as in the garden. Can be sheared or clipped to encourage the freshest growth and the brightest color. Prized for its winter effect. The margins of the leaves pale to a creamy silver as winter cold sets in.

Short ground cover that can be sheared to the ground in spring to provide fresh new growth. Tiny delicate leaves will benefit from some shade and humidity in arid air, but in cooler coastal areas they will perform effortlessly, maturing into tight clumps of unique coloring with the froth of the foliage held high.

Appeal: For tropical or Asian ambience. Quick growing, long-lived, easy to maintain. In tight growing clumps or grove-forming colonies, culms canes in many colors, with grooves, stripes, knobbles and swellings galore. Ideal for cutting and decoration. Leaves range in appearance from tiny and needle-like to variegated to massive plates of glossy green. Zones: Most temperate bamboos tolerate harsher conditions than their given hardiness zones once established; young plants are more vulnerable.

Excessive heat, aridity and exposure have to be considered also. Generally Zones are best for most species, but microclimates can allow experimentation. Exposure: Some large-cane bamboos like phyllostachys can take hot gales or winter blizzards, as in their native China. Bamboos can be propagated from seed , although, because supply is irregular, it is a less common method of propagation. Sow seed fresh as soon as it is ripe. Viable seeds feel solid like grain - papery ones will not germinate.

Growth rates will vary throughout the UK and are dependent on both local climate and soil conditions. Growth may exceed the figures quoted. Seaside Fargesia all types 2. Bergbambos tessellata 4m 13ft Phyllostachys aurea AGM 4.

Decorative canes Fargesia nitida 2. Deep shade Chimonobambusa marmoreal 1. Bamboos are usually trouble-free, but may occasionally suffer from rust or root rots. In some years, bamboo aphids may become a problem.

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