Got an e-mail today from Joe, a bamboo customer from Roseville. Joe had built a well designed series of containers by his pool from a Trex-type of material. All designed to create a fast-growing privacy screen. In it, he planted both Phylostachys bissetti and Phylostachys nigra 'Black Bamboo.' Planted last year.
Naturally, you'd think that Black Bamboo is the Superstar, but not in this case. The bamboo "Superstar' is Phylostachys bissetti.
A runner, a runner like no other. Max 40 ft in height (10 year grove in the ground, half that height in a container), 2 inch culms and can take temps down to minus 15 degrees. Tough as nails, beautiful green coloring and has that 'classic' Japanese Zen Garden look to it.
In Joe's own words, "Our running bamboo is shooting like mad right now (photo above). There are literally probably 100 culms coming up from the 8 plants that we have. Awesome!"
I know that many cringe with the thought of running bamboo, but Phylostachys bissetti in a pot or contained in the ground with rhizome barrier is a great choice for virtually any climate.
Cheers!
Sean Bigley
Mad Man Bamboo
(916) 300-6335
www.madmanbamboo.com
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Twitter: @madmanbamboo
I agree that bissetii is a great bamboo, but I think its vigor might make it a problem in containers in the long term. When I planted my little 1-gallon bissetii 4 years ago, I never expected it to produce so many rhizomes, and so many shoots each year. All running bamboo will eventually "fill up" the pot with rhizomes, but it seems to me that bissetii will do it much faster.
ReplyDeleteEven saying that just now, I'm actually considering putting some in a big container myself. :-)
Awesome. Any ideas on the details of the container? They look great.
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