Sunday, August 28, 2011

Gotta love red bamboo...

Today, I caught my self dreaming of cooler temperatures as I sat in the heat at my booth at the Granite Bay Farmers' Market.  One nice surprise in the middle of drab, gray winter is the spectacular red I get on my Semianundaria yashadake kimmei.  This bamboo is a running variety that does very well in containers, takes full sun, and grows to about 10 feet max in a container (can grow 25 feet in the ground - not recommended, unless you have the room).

In summer, the plant looks like this (quite pretty):


When the colder temperatures hit around January and you get some sun exposure, the culms turn this color:


Can't say I'm looking forward to winter, but this deep vibrant red color certainly brings a bright spot to the cold, gray January days.

Cheers!

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

Friday, August 26, 2011

Bamboo tip: How to tell when your bamboo plant needs to be watered...

Today, we saw temperatures in the low 100's.  Not complaining as we have had unseasonably low temperatures in the Sacramento area, on average from the low 90's to mid 90's.  This is dry heat.  Truly an ideal California Summer.

With the higher temperatures, bamboo has a somewhat unique way to show that it is in need of water and humidity.


They curl their leaves as a way to reduce the total leaf surface that water can be lost, responding to low humidity, low soil moisture and high temperatures.  Typically, once watered, the leaves unfurl and are back to normal.  If the leaves are still folded by the evening, it means they need a deep soak as they are water-starved.

Here's to what's left of the summer!

Cheers!

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

Sunday, August 14, 2011

My all-time favorite bamboo... Teague's Blue Bamboo

You know its always a pleasure roaming about my garden as I always seem to find a pleasant surprise.  In the deep shade of my backyard, protected from the intense Sacramento area sun, I have a treasure of a bamboo plant, Himalayacalamus  hookerianus 'Teague's Blue Bamboo'.  Named after the late Bill Teague, a horticulturist and plant propagator from the San Diego area, this plant is one of the most beautiful in my book, among all plants.

A 20 foot tall clumping bamboo, it is a good ornamental variety that does best with mostly shade, especially in our normally scorching Sacramento summers.

This is what I stumbled upon today and made my little Bamboo Geek heart go pitter-patter:


Gotta love it, quite beautiful!

Cheers!

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

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bamboo Hot Spot: 15th and L Street in Sacramento, CA

This weekend, I took my kids to see 'Annie Get Your Gun' at the Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.  The musical play was really good and we really look forward to getting a good play in every once in a while as well as a good dinner beforehand. It's a treat for the whole family.

For dinner, we tried a new place, Cafeteria 15L.  With fine comfort fare like chicken and waffles (which I tried for the first time, was initially skeptical, and now love it),  as well as braised short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes, how could you go wrong. The food at Cafeteria 15L was good, it was kid friendly, but refined, and it was just a nice place for great food, fairly priced.  And, no they didn't pay me to write this, its my honest assessment of a good meal.

So, good food, great service and well, one more thing... they had an awesome shared outside courtyard with another restaurant, Ma Jong's.

Here is what I saw in the courtyard, a Bamboo Geek's dream:


A very large pot of Phylostachys nigra 'Black Bamboo'.  Actually there were several pots and all looked superb.


Even in the most mundane areas were areas where bamboo were included.  In a slender planting area (foreground) or near a tree (background).

I find, in my travels from the Rocklin suburbs to both Downtown Sacramento and Midtown Sacramento, that both areas are pretty 'bamboo-friendly'.  Many of the businesses there seem to know how to use bamboo in a way that enhances a space, sets a certain mood and shows off the inherent beauty of bamboo.  Cheers to Cafeteria 15L  for a great meal and providing a really nice ambiance which includes my favorite plant, bamboo.

Cheers!

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

P.S.  While at Cafeteria 15L, check out the restroom, it's quite different!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Road Trip, Part II: Keeping Santa Cruz weird...

So, on the way to Carmel-by-the-Sea we decided to drop by Santa Cruz, specifically Downtown (via Pacific Avenue).  Lots of shops and well, it's Santa Cruz, what can I say.  I was struck by a t-shirt in the local independent book store that declared... "Keep Santa Cruz Weird."  It sums it up well and I just went with it.  So here are some of the sights I found along the way:


At the intersection of Front Street and Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful Otatea acuminata ssp. Aztecorum 'Mexican Weeping Bamboo' I have ever seen.  Obviously, it is the ideal weather to grow this variety.


A street performer on Pacific Avenue.


A lonely, but beautiful bamboo planted to soften the side of a building along Pacific Avenue.


A campaign bus for 'Lemo and Chongo for President 2012'.

Santa Cruz is a unique and eclectic place that actually makes for a nice stop.  We enjoyed stopping by for a couple of hours having some lunch and check out the local shops. Hopping in the car, next stop is Carmel....

More on Carmel in a future post in a few days...

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

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Road trip, Part I: Japanese Tea Garden and other sights in San Francisco

We just got back from a five-day family vacation to San Francisco, a brief stop in Santa Cruz and a few days in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Along the way, there were lots of beautiful sights to see, particularly the plant life. In today's post (number one of three), I wanted to show some of what we saw in San Francisco, CA.


This is the Palace of Fine Arts that we walked through on the way to the Exploratorium. The Palace of fine Arts was a small remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a sprawling complex of buildings designed by architect Bernard R. Maybeck. The architecture of the Exposition was primarily inspired by Roman influences with some Greek aspects. The Exposition took several years to pull together and was a celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal and the resurrection of San Francisco as a city following the 1906 earthquake.



Having fun inside a 'visual' exhibit at the Exploratorium.



Walking back to our car from the Exploratorium. Again, inside the Place of Fine Arts. Beautiful.




Japantown, also known as Nihonmachi, was part of what was called the Western Addition, settled after 1855 and was the western break point of the fire caused by the 1906 Great Earthquake. Japanese immigrants arrived in San Francisco in the 1860's and originally settled mostly in areas south of Market Street and in Chinatown. Following the 1906 earthquake many Japanese immigrants and their children settled in what is now known as Japantown. Even after the internment of many Japanese-Americans following World War II and a massive redevelopment of the area starting in 1960, the neighborhood is a vibrant hub of Japanese culture in the heart of San Francisco. Pictured above is the five-story pagoda at Peace Plaza at the Japan Center Mall.




A beautifully manicured bonsai-style pine in Japantown's Peace Plaza.




The sun wasn't cooperating in this photo, but this was beautiful use of Bambusa tuldoides 'Punting Pole Bamboo' outside the Sundance Cinema at the Japantown Center Mall.



This was taken through a window (unfortunately) but inside the Sundance Cinema were several large running bamboo in the lobby (sorry couldn't get close enough to tell what they were).




Picturesque Japanese gardens at the Miyako Hotel at Post and Laguna Streets in San Francisco's Japantown.




Bamboo planted on the roof at Macy's at Union Square. This photo was taken from our hotel room on the 27th floor.




The next day, we took the N Line to Golden Gate Park. On the way to the Japanese Tea Garden, I found this unlabeled plant with a bluish fruit. Very pretty and unusual.




The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is a 'must-see' in my book for any gardener. This was my second visit to the garden and I got to spend alot more time there this time. For a little history on the garden, check out my previous post on the Japanese Tea Garden. Here are some photos of what I saw at the Japanese Tea Garden:




Near the entrance to the Japanese Tea Garden.




Large running bamboo near the entrance. I couldn't tell what the variety was from a distance.




This is the Tea House which is in operation and tea is served to visitors to the garden.




One of the many beautiful groves of bamboo at the garden. This looks like Phylostachys vivax to me.




There are dozens of Japanese Maples on the property, including some of the largest Green Japanese Maples I have ever seen creating huge, beautiful green canopies with graceful leaves.




Stone water feature near the gift shop. Behind it is a nice stand of Phylostachys aurea 'Golden Bamboo'.




This is a close-up of the 'Golden Bamboo' culm, probably the prettiest I have ever seen.




A high arching bridge. Climbing this is no easy chore.




One of the many miniature lakes in the garden. Some are stocked with Koi.




A pagoda that rest on top of the hill.




A stone pathway across a narrowing in the mini-lake.




The ornate rooftop of the entryway to the Japanese Tea Garden.




This is the Fraser Collection of dwarf trees planted on the hill in 1965. The trees were once the property of the Hagiwara family, who cared for the Tea Garden, from 1895 to 1942. The Hagiwara Family was interned during World War II and the trees were put under the care of landscape architect Samuel Newsom in 1942 and he later sold the collection to Dr. Hugh Fraser. Dr. Fraser's wife bequeathed the collection back to the Tea Garden upon her death.




More of the Fraser Dwarf Tree Collection.




This Zen Garden was designed in 1953 by Japanese landscape architect Nagao Sakurai. Zen gardens are full of symbolism using landscape features to create mountains, oceans and waterfalls. These gardens have spiritual significance and aid Buddhist monks in their search for enlightenment.




A Buddha statue in the Tea Garden. History on it is impressive. According to the website holymountain.com, "In 1949, the S. & G. Gump Company presented to the garden the very old and large bronze Buddha in memory of A. Livingston Gump, Alfred Gump and William Gump. It is located at the eastern end of the Long Bridge. It was cast in bronze on Honshu Island at Tajima, Japan in 1790; it weighs 3,000 pounds and is ten feet, eight inches high."


Finally, a hedged bamboo plant that reminds me of a dragon in its form. Speaks to the versatility of bamboo for sure.

Next stop in our journey was Santa Cruz, CA. I'll be posting our adventures there in the next week.

Cheers!

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