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Bamboos

      Bamboos add a lush, jungly feel to any garden. Their evergreen leaves and beautiful canes combine to create a permanently exotic presence. They are also immensely versatile plants and can be used in a wide number of ways.

       Bamboos can be used as single, ornamental specimens to liven up a dull corner of the garden or create interest in boring beds and borders. They are an essential ingredient of Japanese-style gardens, and make excellent screening plants for blotting out unsightly views or nosy neighbours. Planted between garden and roadside, they can help to mask the sound of noisy traffic.

      They can be grown as informal hedges, coping well with light clipping. They are also a good choice for play areas in the garden because they can take a fair amount of rough treatment from rampaging children. Since they harmonize well with water, they look especially effective planted near streams or ponds. If you’re lucky enough to own a lake, large sweeps of bamboo planted along the edge make a fine sight. And, although bamboos are not good at coping with very windy, exposed positions, if they’re planted where light breezes can swish through them, the rustling sound is very soothing.

      The idea of introducing bamboos to gardening schemes fills some people with horror, as they imagine wild, invasive plants taking over every corner, ripping up ponds and patios in their wake. Although some of the fast-growing tropical species have the potential for doing this, most bamboos behave in a much more restrained and dignified manner. In fact, many of the bamboos in this chapter stay in a nice tight clump even after a couple of decades.

       Most bamboos are not invasive plants, but well behaved and dignified.

      All of the bamboos featured here are fully hardy down to -20°C (-4°F), so there is a good choice of bamboo for even the coldest garden, ranging from the lofty heights of Semiarundinariafastuosa to the delicate form of Pleioblastus variegata. These plants have been chosen for their suitability for average temperate gardens, their ornamental qualities and ease of cultivation. There is also a good chance that specialist nurseries will stock them.

      Choose a decent-sized plant for transplanting into the garden. Seedlings are slow to get started, and it can take around five years for a clump to become noticeable. Bamboos prefer a sunny spot, although most will tolerate some shade. For really shady spots, choose Pseudosasa japonica or Sasa palmata nebulosa, which are the least fussy to cultivate.

      All bamboos look much better planted away from strong winds. Permanently breezy conditions won’t kill them, but the wind can scorch the leaf edges, leaving them brown and crispy. Plants look much greener and healthier in a sheltered spot. An exception to this is the robust Pseudosasa japonica, which can take an astonishing amount of battering from seasonal storms.

      Bamboos are very thirsty plants and need permanent access to irrigation. However, they will not stand very waterlogged conditions, so good drainage is important. Pools of water stagnating around the roots will lead to rotting. The best examples of green and healthy bamboos with enormous canes are always to be found in gardens that have a high water table or alongside rivers or streams. In these positions, water is constantly available for them to help themselves whenever it’s required.