Bamboo that reminds me of the holidays...

Gotta love Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapi' (aka 'Candystripe Bamboo'). Looks like a candy cane... really gets you into the spirit! Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Sean

The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

On the this dreary rainy day, I have been daydreaming about gardens that I have had the good fortune to visit.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit the five acre Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The Tea Garden is a real treat and a treasure. There is a modest admission fee, but it is well worth it. I spent the time at the garden with my youngest daughter (who happens to love the outdoors and seems to have an affinity towards gardening like me) and we both really enjoyed our time there.

The garden has several beautiful buildings, including a functioning tea house and gift shop, a koi pond and statuary. The grounds are kept up nicely and has several uses of bamboo including natural, untouched stands to tightly hedged bamboo along short side fencing, and everything else in between.

Here are some photos of the Tea Garden:

Here is a fountain, which I believe is called a Tsukubai water basin with a nice stand of bamboo which is likely either Phylostachys aurea 'Golden Bamboo' or Phylostachys aura 'Koi'.

Here is a photo of the Tea House where tea is served to visitor. To find out more on this feature, click here.

Here is a picture of a bronze Buddha statue (circa 1790) in the garden. The statue is very large.

The Tea Garden has a remarkable history - it was built in 1894 for the California Midwinter International Exposition. The Tea Garden was designed and later cared for by Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara from 1894 until 1942, when Mr. Hagiwara and his family were moved to a internment camp with thousands of other Japanese Americans during that time.

The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest public Japanese tea garden in the United States.

If you are ever in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, its worth visiting. It is located right next to the de Young Memorial Museum.

Cheers!

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

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Even more on container grown bamboo...

On my last post I spent some time giving tips on successful container growing bamboo. Of course, I have those nights, when I wake up at 3 a.m., and my mind is going with thoughts, one line of thinking in the wee hours is what I just posted to my blog and what I forgot to mention, that I should have. All that said, here is an extra helping of tips for you to consider when container growing bamboo:

1. Wine barrels: Nearly the perfect container for growing bamboo, except one thing... its wood base will rot and a running bamboo, given the chance, will run right though the rotten wood into the ground below. Not a good thing. A measure of defense is to place a cheap paver underneath. Not a perfect defense, but better than nothing.

2. Get a pot that does not taper at the top: When selecting a ceramic pot, choose one with a 'V' shape. A tapered pot that closes at the top makes root maintenance or outright splitting after 2-3 years of growth a real pain. I recently attempted to extract a Phylostachys bambusoides 'Allgold' out of a tapered pot and guess what, broke it in the process (pictured above) trying to get the root mass out. Why - rhizomes tend to circle the circumference of the pot making a simple pull out of the pot impossible. Using a 'V' shaped pot makes your life a whole lot easier - trust me.

Here's to happy bamboo gardening!

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

www.madmanbamboo.com

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More on growing bamboo in containers...

Many bamboo varieties are well suited for container growing. Container growing opens up the ability to grow running bamboo, something that I normally suggest in lieu of planting bamboo directly in the ground (not recommended).

Here are a few tips to consider when planning the right container for your bamboo:

1. Know the material - You have to realize up front that bamboo, with a fast growing woody mass, will eventually need to be cut back after 2-3 years. For ceramic containers, this is especially important as the bamboo's root mass could exert enough pressure to crack or break the container outright. Another container option is to use a metal horse trough which is not prone to breaking. Regardless of the container type, its still important to maintain the size of the root mass on a periodic basis to prevent the plant becoming root bound and unhealthy at some point after a couple of years.

2. Container grown bamboo is prone to temperature extremes - With extreme summers and cold, snowy winters, the bamboo root mass is prone to damage. Many people focus on the top growth, but if the root mass gets heat damage from an overheated pot or the root mass freezes into an ice cube (have seen this happen in our mild California freeze), it can really set the plant back. Remember, a damaged top growth recovers very quickly with some warm sun and good soil, a damaged root mass can take the plant back several years. Also, never use a terra cotta pot as it leads to a quick drying out of the soil in the summer, glazed pots retain soil moisture much better.

3. Cover that drain hole - Running bamboo, given the chance will send a rhizome due south through the drain hole in your pot to the ground, not good. The solution: Put a 99 cent paver underneath the pot, a running rhizome can't penetrate it, but it still allows for drainage which is important for bamboo (soggy soil = stunted growth or a complete halt to growth all together).

Container growing running bamboo opens up many landscaping possibilities; use these tips and you can enjoy running bamboo without creating an issue with your neighbors that is hard to handle once out of control. Contained you get to enjoy its beauty, without the downsides of running bamboo.

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

www.madmanbamboo.com

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Oh frost, leave my bamboo alone (or 'How to hedge a bamboo plant without touching it!')

The ravages of winter have indeed shown its effects upon some of my clumping bamboo plants. Clumping bamboo starts to shoot from late July through late October. Some culms harden in time and survive the late Fall/Winter frost largely intact, which is the case for most. For those culms that shoot in late October, they are still tender and very prone to frost damage.

Often the damage manifests itself by freezing the top part of the tender culm, freezing off to an internode that is hardened off enough. The result - a hedging effect on some of the clumping bamboo. This is consistent year-t0-year with varieties like Bambusa ventricosa 'Kimmei' and Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapi'. Hence, both have grown to nice tidy hedges, naturally, with no pruning from me. Pictured above is a Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapi' culm tilted over from the frost.

Cheers!

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

www.madmanbamboo.com

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A real beauty... Semiarundaria yashadake 'Kimmei'

What a nice surprise coming home from work today (lately its been too dark to enjoy the garden when I get home). Last weekend, I split up an overgrown Semiarundaria yashadake 'Kimmei' that was on the side of the house and was in full shade.

Semiarundaria yashadake 'Kimmei' is a running bamboo that can take full sun and grows up to 25 feet tall. I originally acquired this plant for its ability to take bright shades of red when exposed to sunlight.

Since the plant was in a shady corner, it was its usual yellow with green striped culm color when I split the mother plant last weekend.

When I came home today, I looked out the window and did a double-take. Very nice, bright red coloring on the culms. Very exciting to see! Above is what it looks like right now.

Enjoy!

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

www.madmanbamboo.com

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Bamboo on rooftops in San Francisco

I was amazed at my last trip to San Francisco in June that from our hotel view (Mission and 4th St.; near the Metreon and close to Market Street) seeing two rooftop gardens with bamboo planted. Why? Rooftop gardens help cool the floors beneath, helping to reduce cooling bills and reducing CO2 emissions. The challenge for most urban rooftops is to have some afternoon shade to protect the plants and you also have to deal with high winds. In San Francisco's case, having temperate weather all year long helps accommodate a wider range of varieties. Here is a photo of the view from our room.

Sean

Mad Man Bamboo

(916) 300-6335

www.madmanbamboo.com

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