Some varieties include golden bamboo Phyllostachys aurea and black bamboo Phyllostachys nigra that can tolerate freezing temperatures in winter. There are over 1, species of bamboo to choose from, and this plant fits perfectly into most gardens styles from tropical to modern. Bamboo succeeds in a garden when used as a hedge, focal poin,t or privacy screen. The bottom line is to always plant bamboo responsibly to protect neighbors, property lines—and your sanity.
Search for:. Of course, that is, until I cross over to the hate side. Please keep reading to learn more about this winner of a plant: 1. Bamboo can be a clumper or a runner. Bamboo is a grass, not a tree. Bamboo grows lightning fast. Bamboo is Superman-strong. Bamboo helps Mother Earth. Above: A bamboo grove is edged with low-lying Monstera deliciosa in Jardin Majorelle.
Photograph by Alessio Mei, from Gardens of Marrakesh. See Required Reading: Gardens of Marrakesh. Bamboo is not a fire risk if well-maintained. Above: A hedge of Pseudosasa japonica arrow bamboo is trimmed precisely but still manages to have a casual, shaggy air in the garden at Bertrams Guldsmeden hotel in Copenhagen. Bamboo plants can grow in infertile soil , which probably has some complicated scientific explanation, but it sounds like sorcery to me.
How does it make the soil fertile again? You probably know that all plants serve as the lungs of the earth. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis, and humans and animals can breathe easier. But you might not know that bamboo actually takes in 4 times more CO2 than your typical plant and thereby releases more oxygen. Bamboo can even remove toxins from the earth. Phytoremediation , which sounds like a Harry Potter spell, is when bamboo removes lead and mercury from the earth and traps them inside its stalk.
After the stalk is harvested, instead of dying and decomposing, the toxins remain inside the stalk where they pose no danger to humans. Thanks, bamboo! Do you know how people are always saying that trees take hundreds of years to grow into forests? Well, it turns out that trees take the better part of a century to mature enough to be cut down for use as lumber for tables, chairs, floorboards, etc. Do you know how long it takes bamboo plants to mature?
That means that the plants being harvested now were only planted or last cut down in Another way bamboo is incredibly eco-friendly is how its harvested. For thousands of years, bamboo forests have been harvested by hand, meaning no heavily polluting feller kicking out CO2.
It also creates a safer environment for the animals and plants near the bamboo because the farmers can spot them as they go along and take measures not to harm them. Harvesting bamboo regularly is extremely important for the local eco-system. Cutting down the super tall bamboo allows the sunlight to nourish smaller plants that would be otherwise hidden. The farmers even mark the bamboo plants with ribbons or spray paints, as seen in the photo below, to ensure that they harvest them at the optimum time for that plant.
As mentioned above, bamboo is grass. So, much like your lawn at home, it regenerates when the stalk is cut. Other plants that do need to be uprooted i.
Moreover, bamboo does not grow this fast on a regular, consistent basis. During the growing season, which is generally in the spring—although some tropical climates get two growth seasons a year—the bamboo puts out fresh shoots.
If the bamboo is fully mature, at least four or five years old, it will put up maximum-sized shoots. For a month or two, these monstrous culms will skyrocket upwards until they reach their full height.
The culm diameter will not get any larger after this. During the rest of the year, the bamboo may continue to bush out with more leaves and branches. But the individual bamboo culms will achieve their maximum height and girth within the short growing season.
Finally, the growing conditions are critical. Moso Bamboo , for example, is considered the fastest-growing species of temperate bamboo. But in those cooler regions, it will never grow as fast and tall as it does in the heat of the subtropics. Tropical, clumping bamboo , like Guadua and Dendrocalamus , will have a much harder time in temperate climate zone. In fact, they will be lucky to survive, let alone reach their full potential. But in their native habitats of Central America and Southeast Asia, respectively, they are among the fastest-growing varieties of all.
Temperate, running bamboos like Phyllostachys are noteworthy for their aggressive, monopodial rhizome roots. They can easily spread twice that much in a year. And again, this pace depends greatly on the variety of bamboo and its growing conditions. Phyllostachys , as mentioned above, is one of the fastest spreading genera of running bamboo. You might not notice in the first season or two, but once established, they can really spread out of control.
Other varieties of bamboo might be much smaller in stature. Many species of Pleioblastus , Sasa and Sasaella fall into this category. Bamboos grow in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, extending as far north as the southern United States or central China, and as far south as Patagonia. They also grow in northern Australia. Bamboo is naturally found as secondary vegetation in forests, but in some cases, they are the dominant vegetation type.
Such is the case in northeast India where bamboo covers many thousands of square kilometers, and on the mountainsides of eastern Africa. Bamboos can also tolerate extreme conditions that most plants can't. The Bambusoideae subfamily consists of both woody and herbaceous bamboos with a total of 1, identified species in different genera.
About species are used commercially, of which 20 are identified as priority species for those wishing to start bamboo plantation. Apart from those commercially important species, many attractive ornamental bamboos are grown in nurseries for landscaping purposes. Bamboo comprises of many different species which all have unique growth rates and characteristics.
Saying that bamboo grows 1 meter a day is misleading as not all bamboo species grow that fast. Therefore, one should always specify the species. These growth rates can be established in shooting season, and when optimal soil and climate conditions are present.
The time-lapse video below for example, also mentions a growth rate of up to 1 meter a day for the Chinese Moso Bamboo Phyllostachys edulis.
Another bamboo species which has been reported to have incredible fast growth rates is Madake bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoides. Herbaceous bamboos are usually small and resemble grass and are only a few centimiters tall, while woody bamboos depending on the species can grow up to 30 m tall and 20 cm in diameter, hence the reason they are often confused for being "trees".
The bamboo species Dendrocalamus sinicus is considered the largest bamboo in the world reaching 40 m in height and 30 cm in diameter.
An extraordinary example of bamboo's resilience is the fact that it was the only plant to survive the radiation of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima, Japan in
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