Along with all the other hardy exotics with which they associate so happily - palms, tree ferns, phormiums and the like - bamboos have deservedly grown in popularity.
For many years the real potential of bamboos in the garden was not exploited, and as a result their full beauty was not appreciated.
 However, that their time has arrived and their important role in the formation of the hardy exotic garden will be realised. Until comparatively recently bamboos were used in gardens only as screening or as 'accent' plants; but their full beauty cannot be fully appreciated when they are mixed with ordinary garden plants.
They need to keep company with other hardy exotics - after all, that is where they belong - their graceful habit rustling with the faintest breeze.
Bamboos are useful for filling corners, diverting paths to create mystery and as a substitute for trees. They are also one of the best subjects for planting at the water's edge where their arching fronds will cast reflections equal in beauty to any weeping willow.
Their huge diversity and range of size and habit means that they suit gardens of any size - some can even be grown in pots.
They range from a few feet tall - some are ideal for ground cover - to impressive towering giants of up to 9m (30ft) in height. Their leaves also vary from only a few inches to more than a foot in length, some being narrow while others are wide, and some with coloured canes (culms) or variegated leaves.
 For many years only a few varieties were to be found in garden centres, such as Pseudosasa japonica (previously called Arundinaria japonica), a rather coarse but tough bamboo with largish leaves, reaching about 3.5m (12ft), and Fargesia murieliae and F. nitida (both then called arundinaria), with slim canes and small leaves, growing from 1.8-3m (6-10ft). Also to be seen were little bamboos such as Sasa veitchil with its bleached leaf tips - a good ground-cover plant, and Pleioblastus auricomus (then called P. viridistriatus), with its acid-yellow striped leaves - a lovely bamboo for a pot at around a couple of feet.
Wherever grown, it should, however, be trimmed to ground level at the end of each winter to ensure good growth and colour the following season. It likes a sunny position whereas Sasa veitchil will tolerate shade. |
