Running vs. Clumping:
There are basically two kinds of bamboo: running, which is native to temperate regions in China and Japan and comprises the majority of bamboo in cultivation, and clumping, which comes originally from tropical and subtropical areas. Running and clumping bamboos, as the names imply, differ in the way they spread. Running bamboo develops several-foot-long rhizomes (underground stems and surface runners) which send up many new culms along their length, in just one growing season; while clumping bamboo develops short (few inches long) rhizomes which send up only one new culm at their tip. And this is how bamboo got its bad reputation...

Running bamboo, if not controlled, will grow in straight lines away from the mother plant, spreading into areas where they were not designed to grow, in your garden or your neighbor's! Clumping bamboo, on the other hand, is very well behaved, growing as a tight clump, which expands slowly and evenly around its circumference. But you don't have to avoid running bamboo altogether! A sheet of heavy plastic placed as a barrier, 2 to 3 feet deep in the soil around any running bamboo will effectively curb its spread.

Bamboo in the landscape:
Bamboos vary in size, shape and color! As evergreen plants, they can be used in a variety of situations: as low-growing groundcovers, in erosion control, as medium to very tall hedges or screens, as windbreaks, as large groves, or as specimen plants. They also make beautiful container plants!

Come check the Bamboo section at Berkeley Hort and for a better idea of what mature plants look like see the book Bamboos by C. Recht and M.F. Wetterwald, available in the store. Also, check out the clumping and gracefully arching "Mexican Weeping Bamboo" in our tropical-plants courtyard! Celebrate bamboo! And remember: "Bamboo bends, but does not break!"

Growing bamboo:
You can plant bamboo year-round in the Bay Area, but as with other plants Fall is the ideal planting time, with days still warm and rains to help them become well established. Dig a 2 by 2-foot hole, place the plant, and backfill with well-draining soil. Bamboo likes regular watering and fertilizing. It is best to thin out 4 to 5-year-old culms and trim the lower leaves to expose the canes.

Caring for bamboo:
Bamboo plants demand little care. Firstly, because of their vigorous growth, just as a lawn grass, to which they are related, they do benefit from regular watering and regular fertilizer applications. A fertilizer higher in Nitrogen is usually indicated and frequently lawn fertilizers are used (e.g. 16-6-8). Once the plant has achieved its mature size in about ten years, however, it will require much less fertilizer and watering, with several species being indeed drought tolerant. Mulching around the plant is also very beneficial. Compost, manure, or finely ground fir bark are all good choices (if you use manure, fertilizer applications are not necessary for that season).

Secondly, in order to maintain a healthy and beautiful bamboo plant, bamboos do ask for an often-neglected practice: pruning. In order to understand why and how they should be pruned, let's first understand:

• How bamboo grows: Bamboo plants grow by producing new canes every year. In general, temperate (mostly running) bamboos, send up new canes in the spring, while tropical, clumping bamboos produce new canes later in the summer. The canes grow "telescopically", expanding vertically many feet up in just a month or two. After that each cane will start branching and leafing out. Similarly to asparagus shoots, each cane grows everything it has to grow and then stops. In the following years, each cane will only continue to branch and leaf out and color up (e.g. in Phyllostachys nigra, the Black Bamboo, canes turn from an initial green to their characteristic shiny black). As the plants develop and grow bigger, they are able to produce new, larger (taller and thicker) canes each year. And each individual cane will age and finally die in a period of several years.
   
• Pruning off canes: Therefore, in a garden setting, canes that start looking old (with dried up leaves and discolored canes), at about 5 years of age, should be completely removed. As part of the annual maintenance, usually performed in early Spring, older canes are cut off at soil level. This provides room for new canes and, as is traditionally done in Asia, by careful thinning of the bamboo plant, the full beauty of each individual cane is revealed.
   
• Mowing ground cover bamboos: The low-growing bamboos in the genus Pleiobastus, which form a spreading, dense ground cover, should be cut back to the ground every year, or at least every other year, just before the main Spring growth. This will produce a full set of new leaves. You can use a lawn mower, or strong hand shears, or a scythe to do it.

SEVEN TOP BAMBOOS:
Over the years that I've been responsible for the "Bamboo Section" at Berkeley Hort., it's become clear to me which bamboos are most popular. The short list includes the Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra), the Mexican Weeping Bamboo (Otatea acuminata aztecorum), and the Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea). However, that leaves many other underutilized bamboos, several of which have become my very favorites.

It is easy to understand how the Black Bamboo is so valued for its beautiful black canes contrasting with small, delicate, light green leaves. This bamboo is also a " moderate runner", never growing aggressively as the other members in its genus. The Mexican Weeping Bamboo is another handsome bamboo, with unusually long and thin, pale green leaves on gracefully arching canes, which give it a plume-like look. It is a tropical, clumping species, and also drought-tolerant. So how could you do better than that? And it displays all its beauty right here at the nursery, growing as a 15-foot tall specimen in our Tropical Border (it's one of the very few plants that survived unaffected after last December's freeze). The Golden Bamboo, despite its incredible invasiveness, continues to be one the most commonly utilized bamboos in the US. It is indeed very pretty, no one would argue with that, with small, delicate leaves of a light green contrasting with golden yellow canes (especially with exposure to the sun). I hope that the proper containing methods are being installed when planting this greedy species in the ground, or that it is being grown in a container, where it makes a beautiful display without risk of taking over your (and your neighbor's) yard!

So maybe also because of their less common nature, seven other bamboos, out of the thirty-something varieties that we carry at the nursery have won my admiration. And the winners are...

• Chusquea pittieri (no common name): This is a beautiful bamboo, with shiny, dark purplish canes, gracefully arching. At each node, there is a whorl of branches which are covered with delicate, light green leaves. It is a tropical bamboo (hardy to 25 F), of clumping habit. It serves as a beautiful accent in the garden, used as a fountain-shaped specimen in the ground or in a container, where its size will be limited. Grows to 30 ft. tall.
   
• Mt. Hiba Bamboo (Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima'): Attention! Here's a very handsome but aggressive runner that could charm you into planting it in your garden by its large, variegated leaves with creamy yellow stripes on a deep green background. But placed (and contained) in a planter or large ceramic pot it displays all its luminous beauty. Thrives in full sun or partial shade, where it brightens up a corner. Grows to 15 ft. tall.
   
• Alphonse Karr Bamboo (Bambusa m. 'Alphonse Karr'): This is a striking, tropical, clumping bamboo; its canes variegated with random green longitudinal stripes on a golden yellow background. New canes have a distinctive pinkish cast. Leaves are small and medium green. A great accent in the garden, in the ground or in containers. Grows to 20 ft. tall.
   
• Castillon Bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillon'): A very nice and smaller variation of the Golden Bamboo, also a runner. This one has green grooves (common to the genus Phyllostachys) on golden yellow canes and an open, airy habit, which together contribute for its attractiveness. Leaves are small and light green with an occasional, subtle creamy white stripe. It makes a nice screen, if properly controlled in the ground or when planted in a container. Tolerates partial shade, grows to 35 ft. tall.
   
• Henon Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'): Here's an outstanding, beautiful, running, timber bamboo. The canes are green, maturing to a striking greenish-blue, and five inches in diameter. Wood is of excellent quality for craftsmen. Very drought resistant. Grows to 65 ft. tall, best if given an area of 25 x 25 ft. to develop into a large grove, or grown in a large container.
   
• Kamuru-Saza Bamboo (Pleiobastus viridi-striatus): An aggressive runner which makes a very attractive groundcover with luminous leaves variegated with an almost chartreuse and green. Best in partial shade, where it best develops its colors and lights up the area. Best if sheared back to the ground every two years in winter to promote brilliant new growth in spring. Grows to 2-3 ft. tall.
   
• Fountain Bamboo (Fargesia nitida): A clumping bamboo from the alpine conifer forests of China (and therefore very cold tolerant, as opposed to most clumping bamboos, which come from tropical regions) which is a choice ornamental bamboo for partial shade. It has outward-arching, slender branches on dark purplish canes. Young canes are covered with a bluish-white powder. Leaves are small and delicate, light green. Grows to 12 ft. tall.