bamboo?

[LavazzaLover]

I have a corner to hide. It houses the waste pipe from the bathroom (its a cottage). I would like to plant bamboo in a large pot to hide the pipe and just make the corner look nice (DD's bedroom overlooks the corner too).

It does not get direct sunlight and can be shady but the log store will protect it from being bashed by wind and rain.

Anyone else have a bamboo in a pot? Low maintenance or should I buy artificial! ?

[lostinindia]

I have three bamboos in large pots which I use as a privacy screen. They need loads and loads and loads of watering otherwise the leaves curl up and drop off. In the summer they'll need a very good drenching with the hose pipe on a daily basis. Over cast weather they'll need watering every 2 or 3 days.

Another thing to think about is the pot they go in. I initially put mine in £30 pots that were curved and when they grew too big for them the only way to get the bamboo out is to smash the pots. £60 blown with a couple of hammer strikes. Mine are now in massive plastic pots.

I always think that bamboo directly in the ground looks more lush and healthy, and low maintenance. I'm now trying to find an alternative plant to use as screening.

[shovetheholly]

What is underneath? Can you lift one of the slabs of a patio to put it in, and then surround with lovely rounded pebbles?

[SwedishEdith]

Don't plant it in the ground. I know there is some, supposedly, non-spreading stuff but I wouldn't take the chance. I'd only ever plant it in a lead lined container.

[cooper44]

I have black bamboo (if that's the name?) and it doesn't spread. I love it - covers a slightly unattractive corner. I agree it's probably better in the ground - then you won't have to maintain it. Mine is in semi-shade but seems happy enough. It gets morning sun though.

[shovetheholly]

Yes, there are two kinds: clump forming bamboos and runners. The clump-formers are not invasive and produce neat roughly circular stands. They can be planted in the soil without fear. The runners are a nightmare for spreading extremely vigorously and will need strong and stern control. They are the ones that you need to keep surrounded with metal under the earth if planted in a bed.

Buy a clumping form and thin it if it starts getting really thick and you should be fine! It's worth bearing in mind that there are lovely Phyllostachys varieties with coloured canes, but that these often require sun to really reach their full potential.

Have a look at fargesia varieties for shade and winter hardiness.

[wonkylegs]

Whatever you do, don't plant the running one in the ground. We inherited one with this house and it's plan seems to be to take over the whole garden.

[LavazzaLover]

Unable to plant in the ground. Bathroom waste pipes underneath. And its hard core and slate waste.

[LavazzaLover]

Oh hardy! Yes! I live where temp can be 4 degrees cooler than 2 miles down the road!

Clump form it is then.order on line or garden centre?

[LavazzaLover]

This is what I am after:

[Psippsina]

I don't suppose I could hijack for a moment and ask how to stop it spreading?

Our neighbours have some in their garden and it's beginning to come up in ours. I don't know what to do.

[SwedishEdith]

You need to dig it out and poison any that comes up. But, your neighbours need to do this really. If they don't, you'll just be battling it forever. Some neighbours have what looks like clumping bamboo. But, I spotting it coming up through the pavement a few yards from their house.

[LavazzaLover]

Oh its a bugger to remove as my friend gad some in her garden when she moved in. They dug it up. And a yr later she has a new crop! She doesn't dislike it but it was wild!

[Psippsina]

Thanks...been googling and it is scary.

I suspect the previous owners of next door planted theirs in revenge at the people who lived here before us,putting in a massive wooden staircase right next to their garden...no planning permission...totally overlooks their garden! I'd have wanted some kind of screening too tbh. I don't think the new next door have realised how awful this stuff is. I may try and mention it.

Sorry for hijack!

[Ferguson]

As someone else said, the black bamboo is one of the most attractive, and easy to control. It will do OK in a REALLY large pot, as we have some spare pieces in a pot.

Buying a larger one will be more expensive, and they only grow a small amount each year. Once the black bamboo has got well established, the lower side twigs can be cut off to expose more of the 'black', which comes with age, as shoots start off green.

www.vanmeuwen.com/trees-shrubs-and-ornamentals/bamboos/bamboo-black/63962VM

[NB: I only give link for illustration purposes, I'm not suggesting to buy from there. Shop around locally, or on line, to get best deal.]

[shovetheholly]

To stop bamboo coming through from a neighbour's house, you need to install a barrier beneath the ground. Generally, bamboo rhizomes grow just below the surface of the earth, in the first 6 inches so, so you dig a very deep trench and you install a very tough membrane into it that the plants can't punch through. This is pretty much the only way of tackling it, unfortunately.

From the RHS website:

Planting inside a physical barrier
New bamboo plants or divisions can be contained within a physical barrier to prevent them spreading through beds and borders.

Dig a trench at least 60cm (2ft) deep, but ideally 120cm (4ft) deep
Line the sides of the trench with either solid materials (such as paving slabs, corrugated iron sheets or pre-cast concrete drain sections) or with fabric (such as root barrier fabric obtainable from Green Tech Ltd or industrial linoleum (2mm (1/8in) thick), available from builders merchants). Butyl pond liner is not suitable, as the bamboos’ underground stems can penetrate this
Fabric ends should be overlapped by at least 30cm (1ft) and bonded with appropriate mastic
The barrier should protrude at least 7.5cm (3in) above soil level, to prevent the bamboo stems arching over the top. The protruding edge can be disguised with decorative mulch or stones
The planting hole should be dug so that the rootball sits slightly lower than the original depth, with 2-3cm (1in) of soil covering the original surface
Firm well when backfilling, taking care not to damage the young rhizomes
Water well and mulch after planting