Bamboos for all tastes

Bamboo has become an essential plant in our gardens. Fast growing, sometimes even invasive, this carefree plant comes in countless varieties, each with its own place in the garden. Giant, slender or bushy, dwarf or variegated, you will find the bamboo that suits you!

Ground Cover

Take advantage of the power of expansion of this plant to cover spaces where you want to eradicate weeds or create green areas without worrying about requiring only low maintenance. Indeed, the tracing roots and the density of the foliage will prevent the regrowth of weeds and will avoid you the always painful chore of weeding.

Choose the Sasa genus with its shiny and wide foliage which will do wonders in shady and humid areas. In dry and sunny soils, Pleioblastus is preferable as it can be pruned at will and will cover large areas very quickly.

Isolated subject

Always very elegant installed in a large pot, it will enhance a wooden terrace. Cultivated in a pot, the water and fertilizer must be constant to keep the brightness and beauty of the foliage and avoid its wilting. For this use Semiarundinaria fastuosa will give good results because it is not very tracing. Its culms rise very straight like candles erected towards the sky. In the sun it takes a beautiful amber color very characteristic. Very graceful, Phyllostachys decora resists well to dryness and will find its place on Mediterranean terraces.

Boundaries and borders

Bamboo, if well contained, can also be used to create borders, as well as to stabilize sloping ground. The genera Sasa, Shibataea or Pleioblastus lend themselves well to the creation of borders and the delimitation of paths as long as they are well contained with the help of anti-rhizome barriers. In early spring, prune them very short to induce the formation of new foliage and keep a compact habit.

Bamboo hedges

This is the most common use of bamboo. These hedges offer excellent visual, acoustic and wind protection, creating favorable microclimates for fragile plants.

Fargesias and Phyllostachys are most often used to create hedges. Beware, because if the conditions are right for them, their growth can be very fast, and they will easily reach 15 meters high. But don't panic, they can be pruned in height as well as in width!

Fargesia robusta 'Campbell', a non-tracking bamboo

What is a non-tracking bamboo ?

A non-tracking bamboo is a bamboo whose clump will thicken little by little, about 5 cm on each side, every year.

Most of them belong to the Fargesia family. Among them, Fargesia robusta 'Campbell', particularly requested by individuals and professionals.

The advantages of Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' bamboo

1. Its growth is relatively fast.
2. It can reach 3 to 5 meters high, depending on the growing conditions (soil quality, irrigation...), and its growth habit is erect, which allows it to be used to form a hedge, whereas other Fargesias, such as Fargesia rufa, have a much more open habit.
3. It tolerates full sun exposure, whereas many Fargesias will require a semi-shaded exposure or a cool soil with relatively mild temperatures, as in Normandy or Brittany.

How to grow Fargesia?

Fargesia will produce canes twice a year: a first important time, in the second part of spring, then a second time, more modestly, in the beginning of autumn.

Be careful: if the canes are very strong when they are out of the ground, they are very fragile when they emerge.

Fargesia accept most soils, not too sandy (too filtering), nor waterlogged in winter. They are greedy grasses that appreciate generous contributions of compost at planting. Then, we install an organic mulch (straw, RCW, small thickness of lawn clippings) in order to keep the soil fresh while letting the young canes grow. Woven fabric should be avoided because the canes have difficulty to pass through.

Once planted, bamboos require no maintenance and are pest free.

How far apart should bamboo be planted to make a hedge?

Knowing that the bamboos will eventually join together will depend on your patience. If you are in a hurry to get a compact hedge, plant every 20 to 30 cm. But if you have time, or if your budget is limited, you can space them one meter apart (then count on ten years for them to join).

The multiplication of bamboo

Bamboo multiplies by division, which explains its price, sometimes a bit high: the division takes time. Some bamboos are also multiplied 'in vitro'. But this can lead to a more compact habit and a smaller size in the first years.

Can Fargesia be grown in pots?

Be careful, Fargesia is not a very drought resistant bamboo. It is therefore necessary to be vigilant, especially since it does not show any particular signs when it is thirsty. In winter, if the water in the pot freezes, it can die of thirst.

Bamboo, a plant easy to live with

The bamboo plantation is a very old park built in 1956 by Eugène Mazel, known essentially for its bamboo, although it contains other types of vegetation. Native plants are found alongside exotic plants.

Bamboo, not so exotic as that!

Bamboos are often considered as exotic plants, although they grow very easily in different climates; and ours is no exception!

Bamboo, a perennial and evergreen plant

The great advantage of bamboo, and what makes it appreciated by gardeners, is that it stays green all year long (the foliage is evergreen). It is therefore a great pleasure to be able to enjoy this light and graceful foliage, this very lively and natural plant, every year in winter.

Bamboo, a plant for fresh ground, but not only...

Bamboo is best planted in fresh, deep and very draining soil. However, it can adapt quite well to more difficult soils. Of course, its growth will be slowed down compared to a culture in good conditions, but you can still enjoy its presence.

Bamboo, an invasive plant? Yes, but...

Bamboo is a plant that lives in colonies. As everyone knows, it sometimes tends to spread and become invasive. But don't panic: if you don't want it to spread, simply cut the young shoots in the spring. Another solution is to install an anti-rhizome barrier at the time of planting; this will limit the spread of the plant.

Trailing varieties and seedling varieties

The last possible option, to prevent bamboo from invading the entire garden, is to opt for non-tracking varieties of bamboo (yes, they do exist!): cepitant bamboos. Contrary to the tracing varieties that run, the cespitose varieties are varieties that grow in groups. You will thus obtain a beautiful clump of bamboo with stable dimensions.

In summary

Bamboo is a plant not to be afraid of, easy to live with, and always a pleasure to grow because of the production of new shoots every year.

The bamboos

The difference between tracing and non tracing bamboos, mainly fargesias, comes from the way they develop their rhizomes.

The tracing bamboos have their rhizomes growing horizontally in any direction while those of the fargesias grow in V, tightened at the base but splayed in height (like a bulb would).

The size of bamboos can vary from 2 to 5 m depending on the species.

Cultivation needs of bamboos

Bamboos appreciate an ordinary and not too heavy soil: the lighter the soil, the more the bamboos grow.

Contrary to what we think, they are not water plants. Watering is useful only when it is hot.

There are two types of fargesias: those that prefer shade and those that prefer sun. If you place sun bamboos in the shade, they will still grow. But if you place shade bamboos in full sun, they will not resist.

Multiplying bamboo

The division of bamboo is never done in spring; only in winter, from December to March.

Maintenance of bamboo

No need to add fertilizer. The grass brings nitrogen naturally, a mulching of lawn mowing (the first mowing of spring and the last one of summer) of 8 cm thickness is enough to feed them, while preventing the development of weeds.

Bamboo is a grass; if you feed it too much, it will grow but become fragile at the thatch level. It can break or even rot.

The life span of bamboo

It is programmed in their genes: for a given species, whether they are one year old or 100 years old, whatever the continent where they are, all die at the same time, having previously flowered and gone to seed to reproduce.

Bamboos, growing tips

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.

Controlling the development of bamboo

Most varieties of bamboo tend to expand because of their trailing rhizomes. If they are happy in your garden, there is a real risk of them becoming overgrown. Let's see how to control them.

The roots of bamboo

Most bamboos, with the exception of certain Fargesias, have rhizomatous and tracing roots, i.e. underground organs capable of containing a reserve of nutrients. These organs move horizontally and serve as a natural multiplication of the plant which then forms vast clumps. If left unchecked, the expansion can be spectacular, especially if your garden conditions are conducive to their development.

Different methods of controlling bamboo

The spread of bamboo is not inevitable! There are many solutions to limit its progression:

The trench

Delimit the area dedicated to your bamboo by digging a trench about 40 cm deep and 10 cm wide around its periphery. You will then just have to watch for the appearance of new shoots and to give a clear spade stroke in the trench to eliminate them. If you prefer, you can also proceed with the help of a lopper which will quickly cut the unwanted rhizomes.

The anti-rhizome barrier

The anti-rhizome barrier made of thick polypropylene, almost rigid, allows to stop the progression of bamboos in a very efficient way, but for that, it must be positioned in the rules of Art! Place it at an angle of 15° to the bamboo clump. It must be installed at the plantation at a distance of 50 cm to 1 m. The depth of the trench where it will be placed should be slightly less than the height of the anti-rhizome barrier so that it protrudes a few centimeters from the ground to prevent the roots from jumping over it.

To hide it, you can install large round pebbles that will emphasize the 'zen' side of the bamboos or cover it with a slate mulch or colored RCW.

The Masonry

The most courageous will build physical barriers with cinder blocks or bricks. Be careful to cement the whole thing so that there are no gaps where rhizomes can infiltrate. Here again, leave 2 cm above your low wall so that the roots do not jump over it happily.

The mower

Sometimes the lawn is next to a bamboo planting that stops at the edge of the lawn. Some people even plant a clump of ornamental bamboo such as the famous Phyllostachys nigra in the middle of it. If you regularly mow the lawn, the aerial shoots will be removed as they appear.