Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Forest plant of old , bamboo evoke images of another continent , but with the impact they can have on our landscape , it may feel more like another major planet . Here are some selection from the temperate regions of the East that are adaptable and versatile in the West . Though not heavyweight of the jungle , they will grow happily in most garden . Out of a hundred genera and 15 times more mintage of bamboo , at least one - fifth are “ hardy , ” coming from cooler climate where they can endure seasonal extreme of rut and cold . La Bambouseraie in Anduze , France , a bamboo garden and glasshouse where many of these photograph were bring , has a mood that tolerate some of the giant timberland bamboo ( used for mental synthesis ) to reach the majestic proportionality they do in the wild . Should you not be blessed with a Mediterranean clime , however , have no fear — you could still grow bamboo successfully , only overlook out on the substantial height and the forestlike habit . Cooler garden will bring forth shorter , more refined but well - structure specimen .
Photo by : Andrea Jones .
Phyllostachys edulis
Shown in all its mature glory at La Bambouseraie in France . A timber bamboo of great eminence in its aboriginal China , where it reaches forestlike symmetry . The ghostly white-haired - green culm are enhanced by the iniquity , forbid background knowledge . This junglelike scene , double-dyed with palms and creeper , belies the hardihood of bamboo — in their homelands many type are covered in Baron Snow of Leicester during the wintertime months . ( Zones 6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys edulis‘Heterocycla ’
Known as the tortoise - shell bamboo because of the slanted and engorged nodal formations at the radical of its culm . The cultivar is not as tolerant of cooler region as the straight speciesP. edulis , but worthy of a challenge . ( zone 8 - 10 )
Phyllostachys nigra
unequalled Shirley Temple Black - caned bamboo is a outstanding addition to any collection . A sunny location apace bring out the black color on the young culms , which emerge greenish . ( zone 6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys bissetii
Introduced in 1941 and one of the best for hedging , screening and speedy shelter . The vivid green culm and dark leafage are unperturbed by a abrasive winter . ( zona 5/6 - 10 )
Phyllostachys violascens
Dark - purple shoots later form giant , lustrous greenish culms that become striped violet and yellow with age . Needs plenteous elbow room to expose its wares , eventually forming a large dependency . ( zone 6 - 10 )
Pseudosasa japonica‘Tsutsumiana ’
Some of the short bamboos can be successfully confined to raft , but do n’t forget to irrigate them . Use heavy compost for constancy but with good drainage . Surround with a few sea - wash pebbles and twisted woodland for a landscape in miniature , proving you do n’t ask a large garden to turn bamboo . The leafy Nipponese type used here is also known as the green - onion bamboo because the culm can be swollen on matured plant . ( zone 5/6 - 10 )
Sasa palmataformaNebulosa
The tropic appearance of this lush Nipponese bamboo counterpoint with its boldness . Beware of its hostility — it can romp through your garden like an gain army . Well worth the risk if controlled . ( zone 4 - 9 )
Shibataea kumasaca
shortsighted species that expect not bad in a pot or as underplanting for taller specimens . Pointed leaves emerge from thin zigzag culm to provide a squat but spiky appearance . undifferentiated wintertime bleaching of the leaf tips is extremely cosmetic . ( zone 5 - 9 )
Pleioblastus fortunei(syn . P. variegatus )
Dwarf grassy bamboo equally at home in a gage as in the garden . Can be sheared or clipped to encourage the impertinent growing and the brightest color . ( Zones 5 - 9 )
Sasa veitchii
Prized for its winter outcome . The margins of the leaves pale to a creamy silver as winter cold sets in . unretentive ground cover that can be sheared to the undercoat in spring to provide impertinent raw growth . ( zone 6 - 10 )
Thamnocalamus crassinodus
Recently enclose clumping coinage from the Himalayas with notable cultivars such as ‘ Kew Beauty ’ , ‘ Lang Tang ’ and ‘ Merlyn ’ , all with pale blue culm mould on mature flora . Tiny delicate leafage will benefit from some shadowiness and humidity in arid atmosphere , but in cooler coastal areas they will execute effortlessly , maturing into tight clumps of unique food color with the foam of the leaf moderate in high spirits . ( Zones 7 - 9 )
Appeal : For tropical or Asian ambience . Quick get , long - lived , easy to exert . In soaked growing clumps or orchard - forming colony , culm ( canes ) in many color , with grooves , stripes , knobbles and swellings galore . Ideal for cutting and decoration . Leaves swan in appearing from tiny and needle - ilk to variegated to monolithic plate of glossy special K .
zone : Most temperate bamboos tolerate harsher conditions than their given hardiness zones once established ; young plants are more vulnerable . Excessive heat , thirstiness and exposure have to be weigh also . Generally Zones 6 - 9 are best for most coinage , but microclimates can allow experimentation .
photo : Some large - cane bamboos like genus Phyllostachys can take hot gales or wintertime blizzard , as in their native China . Sasa from the maritime mood of Japan and thamnocalamus from the foothills of the Himalayas relish cooler coastal and more montane area ; with a short tincture and extra wet they can be tried almost anywhere .
ground : Hardy bamboos are adaptable . Avoid ironical and desertlike soils or swamps . However , dry sandy soils can be meliorate with constitutive topic , and waterlogged soils can be drained . Clay can be broken with sharp Baroness Dudevant to allow the bamboo to penetrate . Bamboos can forbid erosion on incline , and they originate in a wide range of pH — except the extremes of acid or alkaline .
See how bamboo can be used to screen the margin of a small garden and get tips for selecting the best bamboo plants .
Care : Young plants establish more promptly than huge specimens . Water novel plants during the first two summers . In dry climate or during drought , urine even found bamboo twice a week ( it ’s gruelling to over water bamboo during a hot summer ) . Keep roots cool and moist with a mulch of rot organic matter , which provides nutrient . In time , fallen leaves and sheathes provide all the mulch and solid food required . Remove old and weak culms ; prune low branches to show colorful culm . To control running bamboos , chop off runners periodically ; barrier are not always effective and can be unsightly ( learn for bamboo ) .
plan with bamboo
PAUL WHITTAKER IS THE AUTHOR OFHARDY BAMBOOS : TAMING THE DRAGON(TIMBER PRESS , 2005 , 300 PAGES , $ 39.95 )
