I know bamboo is not a tropical but it sure adds the tropical look.
I get to see this little park area every time I go to my eye doctor in San Francisco. I love this little place so. Keeps me in such awe. Isn't life just great?
Do you love bamboo?
Has a water feature too
It is a huge stand of them, black and green.
Intense bamboo.
I'll admit it, I'm a bamboo nut, myself, ever since I found out about it when I was little (It was about the time the National Zoo in DC got Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing from China), and it just blew my 6 year old mind that there was a type of GRASS that gets as big as trees. I assumed, like many, that bamboo was all tropical, but then I discovered, about the time I was in 6th grade that there were some people in my area that had groves of some kind of bamboo. about 10 years ago, I finally figured out what kind it was. It was Phyllostachys aureosulcata, and I got some from a local guy, and now I have a nice little grove in the woods that has culms ranging from 20-25 ft high! The best part is that it stays green all year round, even when temps drop below zero (I know the evergreen feature wouldn't be such a big selling poing in San Francisco, which is practically tropical compared to where I live). I now am trialing about 12 different species and varieties of bamboo in the woods behind my house. Here's how they rank for hardiness (the ones at the top suffering little or no damage and the ones at the bottom suffering fairly heavy damage and/or dieback):
Phyllostachys aureosulcata
Arundinaria gigantea gigantea
Arundinaria gigantea tecta var Deciduosa (world's only deciduous bamboo... Loses its leaves around the end of November or the beginning of December)
Phyllostachys rubromarginata
Phyllostachys atrovaginata
Fargesia nitida
The above were either untouched by a -2 F temp drop we had or sustained only very minor damage (the P. rubromarginata had tip burn on some of its leaves, but I suspect that was more wind damage than anything, and the P. atrovaginata had one tuft of leaves on the end of one branch that died... the rest of the plant was fine, which I found rather odd, to say the least).
Semiarundinaria fastuosa
Phyllostachys nigra
These both had severe leaf burn and partial culm death, but have since recovered somewhat this year.
Pleoblastus viridistriatus...
....Was killed to the ground, but came back bigger than ever. Basically I think of it as an ornamental grass
I have no hard data on the following, because I just planted them this spring:
Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillions Inversa'
Pseudosasa japonica
I originally intended only to get the P. japonica, but the guy whom I got them from (my one aunt's neigbor in Annapolis, MD) had both species in his yard, and their rhizomes became intertwined. I didn't know I got the P. bambusoides rhizomes until they sent up 3 or four 6-ft high shoots this spring right before the P. japonica shooted.
I'm also an off-and on member of the American Bamboo Society, but I forgot to pay my membership dues this year... Oh, well, there's always next year.
It should be obvious from this post that I'm a HUGE bamboo nut. ;-)
Do you know what kind of bamboo that is in your pics, BTW? It looks almsot like it could be a Phyllostachys of some kind, but I'm not quite sure which.....
Great shots Kell. Theres something very gentle and peaceful about bamboo and I love how it moves in the breeze. Thanks.
Hikaro, I dont know much about bamboo,although I have some on my property , people always talk about it in terror like it will take over your world if you plant it but I havent noticed that here. I did recently see a Variegated one( no idea of name im afraid) that grows only to about 6-8 feet, and I'm a variegation nut so I may have to get some more
Oh my, I remember seeing Ling Ling in DC 20 years ago! But not bamboo! Shucks.
I would love to see pictures of your bamboo, Hikaro_Takayama. Sounds like you have a great piece of land. I live on a small little plot of hardly any room so I truly love seeing all the land you guys have in other parts of the country.
I have been tryng to ID these for several months and I finally got a nursery to help me. The nice folks at Bamboo Sourcery in Sebastopol, CA
( http://www.bamboosourcery.com/ ) IDed them as "the green is Phyllostachys vivax (PHVX) and the black is Phyllostachys nigra 'Daikokuchiku' "Giant Black:".
Today when I was going over all my photos from my 2 visits there I noticed a plaque at one end of the bambo stand in one photo. I sure wish I had noticed it when I was there, but my eyes only saw the bamboo, LOL. I bet it has all sorts of interesting info on it. I can't wait now to go back to read it.
This message was edited Sep 30, 2006 5:03 PM
Celt,
I know what you mean... I've had some people even around here who've had bad experiences with poorly-planned bamboo plantings. All my stuff is in a weedy woodlot behind my house (I planted the first grove to see if it would kill the Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose bushes that were killing a small stand of black cherries, and it worked! The bamboo shaded out the weeds, and the cherries, for the most part, were saved) that doubles as my experimental garden (see my Pennsylvania "tropical rain forest" thread that is also in this forum). If you know a bit about how bamboo spreads, and take some time to plan, bamboo won't be a problem. My grove has spread about 15 to 20 feet from the original planting in 10 years time... hardly what I call taking over the world.... Plus that 10-20 feet was sideways, since the grove is pinned between two swampy areas (most bamboos hate wet feet, and wont grow in permanently wet soil).
As for your varegated bamboo, it sounds a LOT like xHibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima', which is rated as hardy (without damage, that is) to 0*F, with some saying it is hardy to -10*F. It is on my list of bamboo to try out.....
Edit: Crossposted with Kell:
That was one of my guessed for the green bamboo.... I thought it would either be P. vivax or P. bambusoides (P. Bambusoides grows EVERYWHERE in Japan, and I have seen some real big stands of it in the forests on the mountains of Chiba Prefecture and the Hakone region). I hava a pic of my yellow groove grove in the thread I was telling Celt about. I'm planning on updating that thread with more pics of my other bamboos, but I need new batteries for my digital camera first.... Well that, and I've spent the past week cutting down dead elm trees in the woods to make room for some new stuff I'll be planting this fall and next spring.
This message was edited Sep 30, 2006 8:20 PM
Oh celt33040, is it highly variegated? I love variegation too! I think an all variegated garden would be so great to look at.
I first saw the need for bamboo in a garden at an open house garden of a friend who is a manager of a nursery here. His place was just so grand. A small space, oddly shaped but they had it done very effectively in garden rooms. They had several bamboo clumps and it was excellent as a room divider or a screen. His bamboo was very fine with delicate culms so it fit nicely in a small garden and was not overwhelming at all.
I have a bamboo that survives the winter here,no clue what variety
a very short bamboo
I'd love to find one that gets tall......
love the pictures Kell
Try Arundinaria gigantea gigantea 'Macon'.... Possibly the hardiest bamboo in the world. It will retain most of its leaves down to about -20, and there are some people growing it up in Canada as a die-back perrenial in Zone 3b, at least according to some sources I've seen. I know for a fact that many varieties of A. gigantea gigantea are really hardy... I've had some go through its first winter (i.e. when it hasn't had that much time to establish) with NO damage at all, and, like other plants, bamboos tend to be somewhat hardier when they're established.
Another bamboo for your zone that gets fairly tall (about 10-15 ft) is Fargesia nitida, but it is pretty slow to get to that size....
Another good one for you would be Phyllostachys bisetti, which would get about 20-25 ft high in your area and can tolerate temp drops to -20 with ease. Phyllostachys Nuda is also very cold tolerant, but not as tall as the bisetti.
You could also try Phyllostachys aureosulcata, but you'd most likely lose all the leaves during a cold winter, however, there are those in zone 5b N central PA who've had success with this plant.
Thanks CC. I think Hikaro_Takayama is the man to ask about a tall one for you.
I saw a faux bamboo for mini yards and I grabbed it the other day. LOL. Kind of pales in comparison but is great for a puff effect. LOL You just know CC I am going to end up with a big bamboo clump soon. It is inevitable.
This is kind of embarrassing to equate Muhlenbergia Dumosa with such bamboo as in my first pictures but hey a mini yard has to do what it has to have. LOL
LOL CC, I see Hikaro_Takayama already has great suggestions for you. I also checked and the green bamboo in my first picture is also hardy done to 4A.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58010/index.html
I loved your great garden, Hikaro_Takayama. So much love and work! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/649302/
Kell those shots are marvelous (as is the 'boo!)
That designer REALLY had the right idea!
Nice choices on the 'boo Hikaro.
Our Pleioblastus viridistriatus 'Chrysophyllus' and Pleioblastus viridistriatus suffer very little from winters here.
We though cut it all to the ground every Spring so it doesn't really matter anyway.
The new growth shines in an early Spring landscape.
It is VERY aggresive here though.
One we really love is Pleioblastus Variegatus.
(It's planted in w/ the Phyllostachys aureosulcata.)
It is deciduous here so we get a fresh knee high crop every year.
The Phyllostachys aureosulcata is now 8 years old 25' tall and just starting to need a Summer roundup on the runners. As the bed is isolated it's fairly easy to contain.
We did have a runner escape over to the neighbor's.
He loves it and so we are doing a barrier 15' out in his yard.
It will make our little 10' x 10' patchreally look like a forest! lol
Our P. nigra is just coming into it's own.
Bought as a gallon pot 4 years ago it's now about 6' tall and blackening up nicely.
It does though suffer from cold/wind tip burn at temps in the teens.
Ric
We need pictures Ric!!
I love the black bamboo and will probably get that. A friend of mine,, pretty Sue, last year was hot for it so I started looking for a godd pot of it on my nursery wanderings for her. In the end she decided against it and I was in love with it. LOL. I am so easy to influence.
I forgot to add one of our newest favs.
After trying it for 3 years it is very much hardy here.
It's Indocalamus tessellatus.
The Large Leaf Bamboo.
http://www.lewisbamboo.com/tessinfo.html
I'll get some shots of ours up to show it off.
Ric
I did find some shots I had laying around.
Here's our mature Phyllostachys aureosulcata and baby P. nigra (little guy on the right)
Taken last December.
Our yard is so small winter is the only time you can really see it all.
Ric
Here's Pleioblastus viridistriatus 'Chrysophyllus'.
It's a gorgeous Yellow.
It's growing in Pleioblastus viridistriatus and Northern Sea Oats.
Hopefully it will crowd the others out.
Ric
Henry,
I'm also considering getting some Indocalamus tessalatus and/or Sasa palmata, which are both good, hardy big leaf bamboos. I'm also not entirely sure if the Plieoblastus viridistriatus was killed to the snow line by the cold or whether the local bamboo-loving rabbits ate it.... Ever since the bad winter when I planted the P. aureosulcata (it wasn't really that cold, but we had unusually high snowfall that year), and all the other grass was covered by snow for about 2-3 weeks, the local rabbits, out of desparation, decided to give the bamboo a try, and they decided they liked it. I've got revenge on them a couple of times (rabbit stew anyone?), but I've learned that the furry buggers will eat any culm that is less than half an inch indiameter (if it's half an inch or larger, they can't bite through it) unless I put up a hardware cloth enclosure around the newly planted clump.
Kell, I see you got the ol' bamboo Muly.... I'd actually grow it here if it was hardy... Instead, I got me some Hakonechloa, which looks sorta bambooish, too. I'm actually a sucker for any big, somewhat bamboo-like grasses. That's why I have the clump of Giant Reeds, Saccharum arundinacea, and next spring I'm going to be getting some elephant grass from Brian....
Let me know about which Grasses you need come Spring.
We have a neighbor who specializes in the 'BIG Gun' Grasses!
Some tall as 'boo and twice as aggressive! lol
Ric
What kind does your neighbor have, pray tell? Any that can tolerate some shade?
I'll get the names tomorrow if I run into him.
Some shots too.
Most are more reed like in appearance but definitely grasses.
One we have just planted looks a lot like Arundo donax 'Variegata'.
It is though fuller and doesn't green out.
Much faster growing too.
Most of the big grasses do like some Sun.
His are doing well in about half a days worth.
One he got from 60 miles north of here HAS to be conatined.
It's a river grass and a gallon pot of it filled a 24" pot in under two seasons.
It's about 8' tall, very thin white centerstripe like a Miscanthus.
Ric
Bamboo in the snow, that cool or freezing maybe.
Kell, The one i saw was a yellow and green variegation , ill have to check it next time ,
Some just love the snow!
Ric
Great snow shots Henry.
I only like to ski on it, could never cope with winter again.
It's never snowed or frost in Key West. We've had hailstones 3 times, once in each century and I believe they were all on the same date in April.
Hey, my ears were burning!
I may still try the black bamboo if I find one for a decent price Kell. I am wishy washy and easily influenced too! LOL
That is one gorgeous grove of bamboo in SF, I bet the sign will tell you when it was planted, I am curious as to it's age.
This is one I like, seen at the SF Botanical Gardens. Blue Himalayan Bamboo.
Such a beautiful blue.
My friend has 2 large groves of Phyllostachys dulcis & bambusoides simular to Kell's pics with several others. Kell's pics sure show how good they can look in a metropolitan setting. I wish people weren't so afraid of them. They do fine in our climate unless we have a rare heavy snow and the whole clump bends over to bend back up when it melts. I haven't hear of the P. nigra 'Daikokuchiku' "Giant Black" but I'm going to look it up.
Growin, sounds like your friend has a great yard. These bamboo really add such drama!!
Ric, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! But what a great shot. LOL
Celt, we need a pic of a yellow variegated bamboo. Sounds so cool.
Oh pretty Sue, you found me. LOL. OK, now I have to have your heavenly Blue. What a looker. I want a mixed bamboo border, some black some Blue Himalayan Bamboo and some of this one that I found at SF Arboretum also. It was not tagged. I have so many desires, and not enough land.
Look at this! Hard not to need something so beautiful. Such colors.
Ohhhh gorgeous!! Yes, I think we need to go on the hunt again.
There is the nursery in Aptos that specializes in bamboo, they sell them in several sizes. They are the ones that set up whole installations including underground barriers.
Yes, the glorious hunt where we buy everything but............. LOL
Hey Celt is your variegated this one?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/78143/
I like this one - P. nigra Bory
Looks like it Kell, But I couldn't be sure . Ill give her a call tomorrow. That black one is amazing. Every night walking the dog I go by a big clump of 'Buddah Belly' , Its an unusuall one but one of my favorites.
Wow growin, thats a beaut too! Nice to know I should be able to grow a few when I move up there to B.C. too.
Oh gosh, Calif_Sue, you can grow lots up here and I can take you on a tour of the gardens. Check out my friends backyard nursery: www.tropic.ca - The Canadian Tropics. Timber Bamboo does quite well as do many of the unusual bamboos.
I just love that Blue Himalayan Bamboo - a must have. I'll have to tell my friend to order some in. I wonder if its hardy here.
I've also realized the Pleioblastus with great yellow colour does spread so keep it in mind when you plant it. My friend has it planted with Arundo donax variegatum and it's stunning.
I know what you mean about loving bamboos. I have
Phyllostachys aurea with the yellow stems
Phyllostachys aurecoulis (not sure thats the right spelling) but it has great yellow stems and dark green leaves.
Phyllostachys Nigra The black stemmed
Phyllostachys bissetii the best for screens as it keeps it leaves low down.
Just bought a moso the giant timber bamboo. Its still small at 6ft so its in a pot for a few years and in and out the greenhouse till it can stand the winter.
I have Miscanthus floridulus and the saccarhinum one there cool but quite leafy.
What variety is the biggest i can grow with winter temps down to -15oC?
Wonderful photos!