The World of Bamboo Is a Fascinating One, Home and Garden
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The World acteristics. Their stems, or culms, are OF Bamboo rich in protein and silica, resulting in a strong material suitable for building. Text and photos by Mila and Gordon Powell Before breaking ground, a new bam- boo shoot is a tender edible, an impor- BAMBOO CAN HAVE A PLACE IN YOUR GARDEN tant food source in Asia and a delica- cy when freshly harvested. After The world of bamboo is a fascinating one, home and garden. Their small size is an asset to emerging from the ground, a new culm The strength and beauty of bamboo make for lovely furniture. a small yard. They are suitable in a container or literally shoots up, capable of growing conjuring images of groomed groves as a groundcover. And, once established, they up to 4 feet in a single day. This giant in Japan, delicate Chinese drawings and are both cold hardy and drought tolerant plants. palmata in our yard grows to about 3 to 4 feet grass establishes clumps or groves quickly, Here we present an overview of the bam- tall. In frost-free San Francisco, however, there creating a sustainable, harvestable crop in as exotic tropical plants. The beauty, grace boo family and talk about dwarf varieties, is a handsome specimen about 10 feet tall. little as 5 to 10 years. and strength of bamboo are unequalled their attributes, and how they can be used in Whether as a live plant, a material for con- the garden. The Bamboo struction or furniture making, or as a source of in the plant world. But first, let’s begin with a disclaimer. Simply There are over 1,200 species in the bamboo food and medicine, many cultures have inte- put, not all dwarf bamboos are dwarf in all situ- family. They include dwarf types that grow less grated bamboo into their daily lives. The nature amboo is well integrated into the cul- ations. The severity of winter plays an impor- than a foot tall, to tropical giants, which can of bamboo has captured the interest of many tures of all who live with it. As a mate- tant role in determining the vigor of a bamboo. achieve heights of over 100 feet. Bamboo is dis- Americans, who are discovering this unique Brial for construction, furniture and The warmer the weather, the taller and faster a tributed throughout the world; the largest con- plant and its many uses. instrument making, or as a source of food and bamboo will grow. As an example, the Sasa centrations are in the tropical, sub-tropical and The introduction of bamboo into the United medicine, the uses of temperate regions. States started in the early 1900s. McClure, bamboo are unlimited. Most of the hardy There are many ways to bamboo we are familiar use bamboo in the gar- with originated in China den. As an accent plant, and Japan. In fact, only groundcover, or grove, two varieties are indige- bamboo lends an unusu- nous to the United al texture and form to States. The Arundinaria the landscape. Although gigantea and one sub- often thought of as a specie are common tropical plant, many throughout the Southeast bamboos are suitable for and are known as river growing in temperate cane, or to many people, regions. a good fishing pole. This is especially true Bamboo is really just of dwarf bamboos, which an overgrown grass, but are easily adapted to the Shibataea kumasaca with several unique char- Every part of this roof in the Phillipines is made of bamboo. 76 Pond & Garden “Creating backyard havens” 77 Meyer, Young and others were tireless in their small restaurant, which used a bamboo truss duce seed, with little detriment to efforts to identify, import and establish bamboo roof system. The roofing material, a grass the vegetative growth. in America. Former USDA introduction sta- thatching, was supported by bamboo purlins The variegated simon bamboo tions in Georgia and Louisiana are living monu- which were lashed to bamboo struts which has been flowering off and on for ments to their work. were lashed to bamboo trusses, all held togeth- years. Its clusters of tiny flowers Today, members of the American Bamboo er with split bamboo lashing. It is hard to come rarely produce seed and are Society continue to study, identify and collect up with a better demonstration of the strength almost invisible in the dense new and rare varieties. Society chapters and of this material. foliage. If you want to know the members maintain five regional quarantine true meaning of inconspicuous greenhouses to observe new imports and com- Bamboo Flowering flowers, this is the plant. ply with strict USDA requirements. All new The phenomenon of flowering in bamboo is a On the other hand, a massive bamboo imports must be quarantined for one little understood event, resulting in much confu- flowering and grove dieback, year before release. Even so, dozens of new sion and a few myths. Admittedly, in a botanical known as gregarious flowering, is varieties have been introduced since the Society world classified by flower, it is hard to study a not unusual. One theory offered formed over 20 years ago. species that flowers only every 30 to 60 years. In by David Jansen suggests that a It would be wrong to talk about bamboo some bamboos, the cycles are even longer, with long interval and gregarious without considering its use as a resource. 120-year intervals between flowering. Because flowering is a survival technique. Throughout the world, bamboo is a plant used of this, information concerning flowering habits The seeds, which are a delicacy for building things. Complex architecture, musi- and cycle length is hard to find and equally dif- to rodents, must be produced to cal instruments, paper, and furniture are all ficult to gather into usable form. a saturation point. Only by examples of how bamboo is an important build- There are two myths we should address con- devoting a grove’s entire ing material as well as a beautiful plant. cerning bamboo flowering. The first is when a resources to producing seed will A good example in the Philippines was at a species of bamboo flowers, all the same species there be enough for foraging ani- of bamboo all over the world mals and to establish a new Bamboo likes winter! flowers. Given the irregular grove. This can result in the pre- nature of botany, this myth sent bamboo dying off, its energy spent on seems impossible; how could a making as much seed as possible. THE SEASONS OF BAMBOO plant be so organized? So, Isolated areas of cane along the White River The growth of bamboo through a season although many plants through have been flowering for the past few years. A occurs in several stages. Sometime between the world (especially offspring) few shoots are setting flower here and there, but March and May, depending on the species and might flower, it is unlikely that most of the grove is unaffected. One patch, Mother Nature, the first growth starts with new all will flower at once. however, set seed — lots and lots of seed, thou- culms emerging from the ground. This is called A second, related myth sug- sands of viable seeds. shooting, as in shooting up, an appropriate term gests that after any bamboo Most of these seeds germinated in less than for this burst of energy. A few years ago, we flowers, it immediately dies. two weeks, which may support Jansen’s theory. measured the growth of a new shoot of yellow This is true in some cases but is If the seed is considered food, the faster it ger- groove bamboo: 13 inches in 24 hours. not always so. Many bamboo minates, the better. The less time a seed remains During the next four to six weeks, a develop- Hibanobambusa tranquillans ‘shiroshima’ tolerates more sun than other dwarf bamboos. species can flower, and pro- a seed, the less time it will be considered dinner. ing cane sprouts branches and leaves. This 78 Pond & Garden “Creating backyard havens” 79 suitable for construction and furniture making. can create a miniature version of a bamboo The young shoots are a good food source for grove. Containerized plants should be over-win- humans; and, the leaves and tender canes are tered in a frost-free location, as frozen rhizomes being explored as fodder for livestock. could be fatal to the bamboo. Bamboo in Containing Bamboo the Home and Garden Because the tendency of bamboo is to grow Bamboo is a versatile plant in the home and quickly into your neighbor’s rose garden, con- garden. As a fast spreading groundcover, dwarf taining bamboo is an important consideration. bamboo does the job well, tolerating shade and This can be done with man-made barriers, nat- dry conditions. In a landscape, the diverse tex- ural barriers, or various other containment tures and colors of leaves create appealing con- methods. trast to flowering plants. The easiest way to contain bamboo is to mow Many bamboos are appropriate plants for an area around the planting. Mowing will sever containers. Dwarf and medium varieties are any emerging culms, keeping its spread in a pragmatic choice for a small spot, but if check. To be effective, a mowing band should be Sasa veitchii displays a pseudo variegation on its winter leaves as the chlorophyll recedes from the leaves’ edges. you have the space, some larger bamboos as wide as the bamboo is tall. For a timber bam- are also suitable. boo, a 20’ band would work; a dwarf might only maturing takes place through the summer, pro- Sasaella genus are considered dwarfs and Pleioblastus, Sasa and Shibataea species all need a 2 to 4 foot band.