Gardening: Be careful where you plant bamboo

BAMBOO is a wonder product. As a material, every part of the plant can be utilised. The shoots and seeds are edible; the seeds taste a bit like rice. It is strong and versatile, chemically similar to wood by almost twice as stiff, with far greater sheer strength. In certain measures of strength, it outperforms steel. In Asia it is widely used as scaffolding, bridges, in hardwood floors, furniture, utensils, bike frames, phone cases and drink containers. Bamboo fibre can also be used for clothing, paper and even as toilet tissue.

In a time of climate change, rising CO2 levels and unpredictable extreme weather events, bamboo has a useful role to play. Bamboo is a carbon sink, absorbing CO2 and releasing 30 percent more oxygen into the atmosphere compared to the equivalent mass of trees. With its deep and extensive root systems that are very good at binding the soil together, it can stabilise soil, which is especially useful in droughts, floods and earthquakes. Bamboo is incredibly fast growing, with some species growing 90cm in height in a single day, or 3.8cm in one hour, enabling this plant to quickly regenerate after being harvested and making it a very useful renewable resource.

Bamboos can be found growing widely around the world in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, North India, Himalayas, Nepal, Tibet, North America, Chile, and South Africa, though unfortunately, the Ice Age eliminated them from Europe. The hardy timber bamboos can be widely grown in the UK; in fact there are more than 200 forms of bamboo suitable for British gardens.

These most ancient grasses make very attractive garden plants. In our gardens they can be used as hedging and screening, especially where space is limited, as ground cover, an important feature plant in Japanese Gardens. It looks great dotted through a woodland, planted in containers and pots.

Bamboos are not the monsters they are often portrayed as: invasive thugs that will quickly swallow up your garden. It is a question of choosing the right plant for the right place. Mature bamboo height varies considerably according to species: groundcover bamboos may reach no more than 1ft, large hardy timber bamboos may reach tree like proportions if happy, sometimes exceeding 9m (30ft) in height. You wouldn’t plant a large tree in small pot or tiny flower bed and expect it to remain the same size indefinitely.

Here are my top five garden-worthy bamboos that you may wish to plant in your garden.

1. Chusquea Culeou (Foxtail Bamboo) is an extremely beautiful plant, which has masses of dark green leafy branches which give it a very 'bushy' appearance. Best planted as a solitary specimen, it is one of the most southerly bamboo in the world, coming from the very tip of South America. When mature it can reach 5-7 metres, and is frost hardy to -18C.

2. Phyllostachys nigra (Black Bamboo Plant) believed to be the first bamboo to be introduced to Britain in 1823 and arguably the most popular. This clumping, non-invasive bamboo has contrasting dark glossy green leaves with ebony black culms (shoots). New culms initially emerge green and fade to black within the first year or two. The black bamboo is slow growing, so works well in a pot or planted against a wall to get the full effect of the black culms. When mature this plant can reach a height 6-9m (20-30ft). It is frost hardy to -18C.

3. Fargesia nitida ‘Jiuzhaigou 2’. Pronounced Ju-Zie-Gao, translates as the ‘Valley of the nine villages’ where this bamboo was originally collected in Jiuzhaigou Park, in the Sichuan province of China. This clumping non-invasive bamboo cultivar is known for its thin culms and delicate leaves. Its culms emerge green but with the right amount of sunlight the culms turn an unusual rusty, burgundy-red colour. ‘Jiuzhaigou 2’ reaches a height- 2.4-4m (8-12 ft.). It is one of the most frost hardy bamboos hardy to -29C, preferring full sun and partial shade.

4. Sasa palmata ‘Nebulosa’ is a running bamboo. This stunning bamboo with a creeping habit has the largest leaf of any hardy bamboo, with enormous tropical looking leaves 30cm long and 8cm across, ideally used as ground cover. It will reach full height in 3-4 years, reaching no more than 2.5m. Sasa palmata ‘Nebulosa’ is not suitable for small gardens as it needs space to grow. Black plastic root barriers should be used to contain this running bamboo, and to keep it looking its best it should be chopped to the ground every few years to remove wind damaged leaves.

5. Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda (Chinese walking stick bamboo) the name originates from the Latin word ‘Tumi’ meaning bulging. It is an unusual and graceful bamboo, with very slender culms and ornamental swollen disc nodes, which flare out twice the diameter of the node. The nodes periodically run up the bamboo culm. The culms arch outwards like a slender water fountain. This bamboo is native to Sichuan province in China growing among rainforest covered valleys. Canes are traditionally used to make canes and walking sticks. Chinese walking stick bamboo can reach a height of 4-6m (12-18ft) and needs partial shade. A great choice for someone looking for a slightly more unusual bamboo.