Juli Lawrence – Rakish Gardening

June 24th, 2008

Well, this has turned out to be a complete bust. My bamboo is Bissettii (Phyllostachys Bissetii), a runner. Look at the next post for a photo essay on how my beautiful bamboo has grown from the day my neighbor said “I think your tree is dead.”

My bamboo started as one tiny plant, chopped out of a relative’s grove. Two years later it really took off, but it sent out a rhizome at an angle, taking a 90 degree turn. It was as if the bamboo had a brain, and formed a beautiful border along the northern edge of my vegetable garden. In hindsight, I didn’t choose the best place to start the bamboo, but you learn as you go. As that line of boo grew, it became obvious that wasn’t going to work well, because it created shade on the northern part of the garden.

I planned to dig the line up in fall (2007) and walk it 90 degrees north, leaving it attached to the mother, and having a straight line of bamboo. It was partially to be a nice, lush privacy screen from one of my neighbors. I don’t like to complain because she’s really one of the best neighbors ever, but she’s also very nosy and constantly comes over to gossip the minute I’m out back. Where I’m from, you have to be careful about putting up big privacy fences unless you don’t care about neighbor relations. It can mean a big FU, and I want to stay on her good side. It’s complicated.

So the idea was that the bamboo would do the job more gradually – and perhaps be more subtle – than putting up a big fence. But boo can have a mind of its own and it took that left turn. When fall came, and I’d planned to relocate the line, other things took precedence and I didn’t get it done.

And then in spring, the bamboo shoots, and that’s not a good time to move it. Actually, I should have ripped out the new shooting (and I did remove about 80 percent at the time of shooting), but I have a hard time letting my baby boo go. I love it so much. So I let about 20 percent continue, thinking I would dig it up and walk that line into place.

Ouch. I got the trench dug where I planned to move it, and began to dig up the bamboo, which was now well over ten feet high (perhaps 15+ feet in some cases). It was like I hit solid rock. I worked all afternoon yesterday and made no progress at all. So my great idea of just “walking” my line of bamboo isn’t practical without many burly men or some kind of big machinery.

In the end, I was able to chop out four culms with rhizome chunk, and moved them into the trench. I positioned the rhizome in the direction I’m hoping new growth will go. Supposedly this is kind of how it works, although it can also send new ones out anywhere I guess.

Tomorrow I’m going to cut down the rest of that huge line. I’m saddened about it, because it is just spectacular and I’m so in love with it all, but it’s either that area of bamboo or my vegetable garden, and the garden wins. It’s not like I’m cutting down all my bamboo, but it still hurts.

However…I’m going to harvest many of the culms and build a Japanese-style fence. I may even make some bamboo windchimes later in the season. So that helps the heartbreak, being able to use the canes. I’ve seen some BEAUTIFUL fence designs. Then my plan is to install fencing at the trench (which I’ve now backfilled with pure compost to help those four guys get off to good starts), partially as some support for the transplants. They’re very tall and spindly and need some support. After that, I’ll transplant a lot of hummingbird vine into the trench. That is another plant favorite, and it will climb the fence, and the bamboo (if I let it), then bloom beautifully until frost.

This is either going to be phenomenal or totally idiotic.

I’ll report back mid-summer.

• Bamboo out of control, so let’s eat the shoots!

Tags: bamboo
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