Monday, May 23, 2011

Fast running bamboo in a container... one year later. Experience from a Roseville, California bamboo customer.

I have been chronicling the growth of Phylostachys bissetti  in several containers in a Roseville, California backyard.  Phylostachys bissettii is a green, dense, running bamboo that is wind tolerant, can take full sun, temperatures down to minus 15 degrees and is fast growing.  For a container grown running bamboo, I think it is a great choice.

Joe, who has cultivated the plants in containers for the past year, has been very happy with the growth and the look it gives his tropical-themed backyard.  He recently shared some photos from last year and photos of the Phylostachys bissetti a year later (this past week).  Joe has shown that used in the right way, running bamboo can create a great privacy screen and still be contained within a planting container.  Here are some photos of the progress over the past year, before and after:


Taken in May 2010 (before).  As you can see, the neighbor's windows look right down into Joe's backyard. This type of yard is pretty typical in Roseville.


Taken in May 2011 (last week-after).  The new culms are now well over the fence and once they fully leaf out will be the beginning of a nice privacy hedge.  Just imagine what the growth will look like in May 2012...

Joe made a great choice with Phylostachys bissetti.  It shows that with a bit of well thought out containment and a plan, running bamboo can create an effective and fast privacy screen that is in control.

Cheers!

Sean
Mad Man Bamboo
(916) 300-6335
www.madmanbamboo.com
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Twitter: @madmanbamboo

2 comments:

LexCre8 said...

What do you think about using Phyllostachys Viridis “Robert Young” for containers in a backyard? I'm thinking about getting this particular kind and would like to put it in wine barrels. Thoughts?

Mad Man Bamboo Nursery said...

It is a great choice! In a wine barrel, you'll want to place it on concrete, either a surface like a patio or place it on some cheap concrete pavers as the wood in the wine barrel will eventually rot through. 'Robert Young' is a nice variety that responds well to container growing.