The different types of bamboos
There are four families of bamboos:
- the dwarf bamboos, which do not exceed 1.50 meters in height;
- small bamboos which grow between 1.50 meters and 3 meters high;
- the medium bamboos which reach 3 to 9 meters;
- Giant bamboos, which are more than 9 meters high.
75 genera of bamboo exist and are divided into 1000 different species and varieties.
Where to plant bamboo?
Bamboo is a fairly easy plant to grow. It grows on almost all soils, except extreme soils, too acid, too dry or too wet.
A common misconception: contrary to what many people think, bamboo is not a water plant.
The development and forms of bamboo
Bamboo spreads its underground stems all around it. And from these stems, aerial stems called canes develop.
Some varieties produce narrow canes, like Phyllostachys Aurea 'Flavescens Inversa', while others are more widely spaced.
The beauty of bamboo
The season when bamboo is at its most beautiful, when you can best enjoy the swaying of its stems and the rustling of its leaves, is summer. However, during the fall and winter, bamboo replaces its foliage, so it is less elegant.
Dividing bamboo
The multiplication of bamboo is done by dividing the rhizomes. For this, it is necessary to pull out a mother plant, then to separate the canes from each other. This tedious operation explains the high cost of the plant, at the purchase: it is necessary to count about twenty euros for a plant.
Bamboo and its expansion
Bamboo is a pioneer plant: as soon as it is planted, it will want to take all the space. The advantage is that it offers very quickly a luxuriant vegetation, but on the other hand, it is a little too invasive.
