Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design: Bamboo

Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design

by Kathy Oberg, Landscape Designer, Central Coast CA.
FairyYardmother[at]gmail[dot]com

Thank you for visiting my site. I enjoy bringing you pictures of gardens, plants, and ideas from sunny California. I love sharing after-photos that show how my landscape plans, plant lists and layouts come to life.
As a designer, I use plants to create drama, provide color and form, and compliment the architectural style of your home.

I strive to provide a buffer from sun, street, and neighbors while still fostering connections.
Inspired plant choices and site layout can make any space a success.

I am a Certified Watershed Wise Professional, with techniques to improve soil health and keep more water on your property.
I can help you makeover your patio, paths, planting areas, or entire property. I will consult with you, choose a look you love, and compose a plan and plant list to update your landscape, re-using what you already have wherever we can.

Each project is different because it is about making your space really shine.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Bamboo

Phyllostachys nigra

I've come to the conclusion that Phyllostachys nigra, Black Bamboo, is one of the most beautiful plants in the world. It has lovely, lacy foliage, and culms which turn black with age. It's not aggressively invasive like golden bamboo, but it is also a runner. Running bamboos may have a bad rep, but they form beautiful groves and hedges exactly because of their habit.

nigra

There are two general kinds of Bamboo: The runners can pop up many feet from the original plant, and eventually form a fairly large open grove if not curbed. Runners are wonderful in long narrow spaces, along walls or fences for example, though they are healthier if the narrow space is at least 3 feet wide. There is a product called rhizome barrier that can curb them, and it's best to install it before planting.

Running

Clumping bamboo has a completely different habit -- it forms a larger and larger roundish clump, and it is not as suitable for planting in long narrow spaces. Clumping bamboo is not really invasive at all. It stays in a clump, and does not travel all over one's yard, but the clump can tend to grow quite large, and some clumping bamboo is giant!

Clumping "Alphonse Carr"

Clump

Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design