My Bamboo Is Scaring Me!

As you may recall from my earlier post, I have a favorite sitting corner in my garden (The Red Umbrella!) that is surrounded by four robust specimens of Bambusa oldhamii; giant clumping timber bamboo. This species was suggested to me by a trusted plantsman, who then found them for me and presented them as a gift for my new garden. So I was meant to have them! And they are fabulous.

This is how my corner looked two years ago, about three months after planting. The bamboo had just been through its first 'shoot' which is the period in July/August when the new growth starts. The culms are noticeably thicker each year, and reach full height by winter, staying tightly sheathed all the way up (tallest are well over twenty feet now). In spring they let loose leafy side branches. Here you can see the utility pole in the corner; but you never will again!

That same new growth from two years ago has turned golden, and is considered mature. Last year's culms are still green. And this year? Um, can you see why my bamboo is scaring me?

My task as a responsible, rule-breaking gardener is to keep these beasts in check. Which is surprisingly easy to do, if you deal with them before they are bigger than you are! I have three ways of helping my bamboo do my bidding.

The first approach is a short, sharp, shock. You can see this unfortunate fellow at the far right in the picture above. Too close to the path, no shoot for you!

Until it is about two feet tall, a bamboo shoot is very pliable and loosely connected at the joints, just give it a wiggle and it pops right out. To further control growth from this spot I could dig it out more, but it won't be up to any more mischief this year.

This species of bamboo is also edible; if I were more adventurous in the kitchen I'd think of something tasty to make with it. For now, it's nicely compacted green waste. [see comment from Annie below for a preparation suggestion, courtesy of none other than Allen Lacy, one of my pantheon!]

The second way I work with bamboo is by training the new culms, which are often pointing in odd directions (continuing the trajectory of the rhizome below the ground, I guess). Such waywardness can be turned to an advantage with the right training, giving the culms graceful curves.

When they have reached about four feet and their bases are hardened
a bit, I train new culms by tying them to older ones (built in plant stakes!) By doing this I can separate canes that are growing too closely together, position the tall plumes just where I want them, and encourage the elegant interplay of the culms at ground level. I like to use raffia-wrapped wire, as it is inobtrusive, strong, and reusable.

Old-Hammy would love to be leafy to the ground, but for my small space I want to keep the lower part of the culms clean. So the third trick to bamboo dominance is removing the leaf nodes at the joints. Again, if done cleanly and early, they won't sprout again.

One of my design inspiration books is about Japanese courtyard gardens. My favorites feature timber bamboo, trained by skilled masters to just a few choice culms, in some impeccable setting.

So I am NOT insane!

The tallest culms now meet over the top of the Red Umbrella. Between the dappled shade and the way it catches every breeze, my scary bamboo has made this a heavenly place.

Understanding that I am the master here, and making the sometimes ruthless choices needed to develop the space, has been critical. I think of it as editing the garden; removing what is superfluous and grooming what remains so that it can shine.

Under the Red Umbrella

One of my favorite places in the garden did not have a promising start. It was a dry, lifeless corner, dominated by a large telephone pole, an aging wood fence, and the looming jungle of the abandoned garden next door. Maybe 15 feet square, it could simply have been a nice focal point from the patio, a colorful bit of garden to walk through to get to the side yard. It certainly wasn't going to be a lawn! Since I'm someone who would rather be in a garden than work in it, this seemed a natural spot for a peaceful meditation circle.

So that's what I made. A simple, 10' wide circle, ringed with my ubiquitous river cobble and filled with gold fines. In the center, 4 concrete pavers form a compass rose. A plastic sleeve sunk in the center holds an umbrella in the summer. In the winter, this northwest corner catches the sun. Simple concrete stepping stones connect the circle to the main patio. Look closely...what appears to be an opening in the fence is actually a mirror...it fools everyone at least once.

An overflowing pot water feature (look familiar?) and a statue of Kwan Yin are positioned as focal points from both the meditation circle and the main patio

The groundcover is Isotoma fluviatilis (or laurentia or pratia or whatever it is this week...I learned it as Isotoma, so there.) Both this and the side path were planted with one flat 2 years ago, just a couple of small clumps between each stone. It stays quite flat in the sun, a little flufflier in the shade. Peak bloom is in May, with a scattering of flowers until late fall.

The bamboo is Bambusa oldhamii...giant CLUMPING timber bamboo. These were planted 2 years ago from 15g cans...all of this is new growth since then. Each clump puts out a number of new canes each summer...I choose the ones I want to keep (they are easy to "wiggle" out when they are under a foot tall) and cut older, thinner canes as new ones come in. This wants to be a dense clump, but I prefer to keep them open, so the discipline will continue! The tallest ones are already half as tall as the telephone pole. Right! What telephone pole?

Last year I had a plain beige umbrella in this corner. It looked very sleek, but this year I was inspired to add some color when I spotted this beauty on sale for an incredible price at my local overstock store. I had wanted a plain wood pole too. Of course, the reason it was so cheap was that it had a defect...the pole had a curve in it. Which, for me, was the perfect solution to the one problem I had with my clever umbrella holder. Since the umbrella is not in a stand, it sits lower than it would on the patio. When it's absolutely level, the corners are dangerous to anyone over 6' tall. Since my sweetheart is 6'3", and I value his eyesight, having the umbrella curve was perfect. It also gives it a more casual look AND blocks the west sun better. I love a happy accident!
But the best part isn't how pretty this little corner now looks and smells, it's how wonderful it feels. This isn't a garden I dig around in all year round...spring and fall cleanup, a little weeding, plus a mid-season haircut for the Berkeley Sedge is all I really have to do. And that's good, because what I really like to do is sit under the Red Umbrella, and I do so several times a day, for most of the year. It is a place to relax and dream as I look down the whole length of my little piece of California.

When I have visitors, we go sit there. One night my sister, our friend Ruthie and I sat out there with our laptops (the Red Umbrella has WiFi, of course!) for all the world like the 21st century version of the quilting bee...pooled feminine energy, sharing time together, swapping stories (only sometimes the stories are on youtube...same thing!)

Under the Red Umbrella is where you will get my most sympathetic ear, my most honest advice, and my most creative thoughts. My neighbor slips over to share a forbidden cigarette and escape work stress and small children for just a few moments. She looks around and can't believe it's the same place it was before. And you know? It isn't.