Bamboo

For us gardeners there are many types of bamboo available for our gardens. We have selected here, a range suitable for most situations, just bear with us on their names; Phyllostachys, Fargesia, Sasa, Pleioblastus, Semiarundinaria and more – all sound very confusing.

As a rough guide the Fargesia family we sell are all clump forming plants never producing runners and are pretty safe to plant as wonderful specimen bamboo as individuals, or group planted, even as architectural hedges and screening.

The next big group is Phyllostachys. These, with the exception of Phyllostachys aurea, which often behaves like a Fargesia, are all capable of producing runners and will happily move next door if the mood takes them. So with Phyllostachys we always recommend using root barrier. Phyllostachys can and do make wonderful large specimens, produce large canes (culms) in varying colours and make amazing screens of focal points.

There are others such as Pseudosasa and Semiarundinaria which make great specimens; both of these require a deep root barrier but for me look stunning growing in large containers for an instant taste of the orient.

There are more, much more, such as Pleioblastus, Sasella and Sasa that make great, often jungly ground cover – all beautiful in their own right but as forest floor colonisers they spread so either grow in a container or use root barrier.

This is a very brief introduction – a potted selection if you like, but rather than write a book the is an accelerated guide, by all means ask us if you need help.