[corndolly]

Thinking of planting a Bamboo in my garden , by a south facing fence ,anyone got experience of growing these , how should the soil be prepared , how much water do they like etc

Happy New Year to everyone ,lets hope 2008 is a better growing season than the wet/chilly one we've just suffered.

[WG.]

Terrible things to get rid off CD.  I have a couple and will be making a concerted attempt to get rid of both.  In fairness, some bamboos are more invasive than others.

I'd suggest planting in a large container if you do want one.

[DD.]

Never grown it myself, but from previous posts I understand they spread like wild fire and are a b*tch to get rid of!

[corndolly]

I had thought of growing it in a pot, but then I would be tied to watering it.I dont mind if it spreads ,as the idea is to give some privacy /screen to this corner of the garden .

 I will think about it and do some more research first, Dont want to regret it later. Thanks

[WG.]

You could always sink a bottomless pot into the soil.

I'm taking mine up since it is notable how few insects/birds frequent it.  Seems only the blackbirds use it for their noisy fights.  I haven't had any success breeding Giant Pandas.

I can hack you off a piece of rhizome if you want to try it.  It is a tall variety (20ft against a north-facing wall) and does give usable canes.

[brucesgirl]

I have one in a water tank buried in the ground. It has been there about five years and is really lush and flourishing.

I also have a black bamboo in the ground. This is not as invasive as some of the others. I just cut off the new shoots it sends out if they are too far away from the main plant, and I have started this year to harvest the bamboos.

Also a hedgehog has made a nest under it from the fallen leaves, he is now fast asleep but gets annoyed if we make too much noise in the garden and makes a booming sound.

[Jaye]

A booming hedgehog!!!! :?:   :shock:  

Jaye

[Trillium]

Corndolly, ask at the garden centre to recommend a non-invasive one. Otherwise, it's a lifelong battle to be rid of the encroacher, which is the most common complaint. There are some gorgeous ones that stay in behaved clumps, and those aren't the ones that come out of Wiggy's garden .  

[corndolly]

Thanks Trillium for the advice . I am planning on a dwarf variety ,so I'll keep looking , I suppose I could plant it in a pot sunk in the ground ,that should stop its wandering habits .

[Contadino]

I've just had to get a digger in to remove a patch in a garden that I've taken on.  It had spread onto the driveway, and when the owners came to stay last summer, they couldn't get their car past it.  They had to park up, go and get a hatchet from the house and cut a load down before they could pass.

Opposite, there is an abandoned vinyard that I as thinking about offering to take on, but there a patch of cane right next to it so it's just not worth it.

It's great for cutting cane for peas, cucs, etc.. but a nightmare otherwise.

The open-bottomed pot technique works for some varieties, but others will spread beyond them.  A neighbour tried it and the cane roots just destroyed the pot.

[Trillium]

Contadino has just reinforced the reason for planting any old variety, even in pots. As I said before, the clumping varieties stay in neat clumps, growing very slowly over the years, not even twice their original clump size. You'll pay extra for them but well worth the design and textural elements, not to mention peace of mind.

[richyrich7]

Contadino has just reinforced the reason for planting any old variety, even in pots. As I said before, the clumping varieties stay in neat clumps, growing very slowly over the years, not even twice their original clump size. You'll pay extra for them but well worth the design and textural elements, not to mention peace of mind.

Exactly Trillium,Corndolly go for a clump forming variety there are plenty to choose from some real beauties, they like rich soil so it's worth digging in plenty of manure or even double digging !, I've got an 8 footer in the back garden and it's never grown over 3 foot in height  :roll:  and never spread more than a couple of inches in 4 years.  

[corndolly]

Thanks Folks for advice , what variety is yours Richy , about 8 ' is about the height I would prefer nothing taller and not invasive, am I right in thinking I'll need to pay about £40 , that seems to be the going price in garden centres around here .

[richyrich7]

Sorry corndolly I can't remember the variety, I got it from B&Q if that's any help definitely not more than about £15 as I wouldn't of bought it, from memory it was only about 18" tall when I got it, like I say it was supposed to be an 8 footer but it never gets more than 3    probably due to the soil it's on is pretty poor, might give it a dose of freshish chicken muck might give it a boost  :shock:

[corndolly]

Well I'll look out for a similar dwarf type , the soil its going in is pretty poor ,so that should hold it back , I'm hoping for a height of 5-6' . Thanks.