Hardy Bamboo For Temperate Climates: Six Of The Very Best(2009/08/10)
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 | Author: Home and Garden
    If you have ever considered growing bamboo in the temperate regions then you should select your plants with care and paying good attention to both the cold tolerance and eventual size of the plants you choose. Prehaps the best behaved group and the most cold tolerant are the Phyllostachys bamboos.
    There is an amazing selection available including some stunning coloured canes and and culm sheaths and foilage that range from bronze greed to light Jade in colour. I am pleased to reccomend what I consider the following bamboos as six of the very best to grace your garden.
    Phyllostachys is a genus of bamboo from NorthLowlands of China. Some are extremely tough cookies and very exposure tolerant. This genus offers some of the best ornamental bamboos that are truly hardy in the United Kingdom. In their native warmer regions of China their root system which is intermediate can wander, however in the cooler more temperate zones of the UK, apart from one or two exceptions they are remarkably well behaved and reliably clump forming with slow lateral spread.
    Most are quite easy to grow with only an annual hair cut and brush out to worry about. A good organic mulching and an annual feed is always appreciated. Remember to let fallen leaves compost down around the plant to replace valuable silica. Most Phyllostachys prefer full sun but some will tolerate light or dappled shade, apart from that they are not particular about the soil they are in but preferring heavier richer soils that can be kept evenly moist but not waterlogged. Once the plants are established they are fairly drought tolerant however they need to be kept watered until they have a proper foothold.
    On the whole mostly pest free. Maybe an occasional attack of Aphids Mealy bugs Vine weevil or the dreaded mite. If you don’t mind chemicals spray with a propriety insecticide or alternatively use one of the organic sprays now available. If mites are the problem cut down the canes and burn them along with any fallen leaves and spray the surrounding area with miticide.
    Phyllostachys bambusoides lacrimadeae. The Goddess Tears The Goddess Tears Bamboo. New from China comes an unusual ornamental form of this wonderful species which can be stunning. It has a similar vigour and stature. Black-purple markings on mature canes make this different from all others. It has been greatly underestimated since its introduction and there are very few of these around as yet, but that wont be the case for long. An admirable plant for a specimen.
Phyllostachys Rivalis Phyllostachys Rivalis. Vary Rare. Similar in form to Bissetii however extreamly rare. I do not know of any other sources in the UK other than The Pot and Grass Company. According to Ohrnberge the authority: 4 meters in height 1.5 2.0 cm in diameter. Originally from Guangdong, Nanxiong, and Fujan province. It grows mainly along the banks of mountain streams. This species was introduced into Britain possibly as a single plant from China which soon seeded and died. A single seedling derived from this plant and is grown in Germany. The Pot and Grass Company Rivalis has