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GARDENER'S
READING ROOM
Trees and Shrubs
Bamboos
for the Garden
In
the past bamboo varieties available at the nursery have been
fairly limited. We here at Sky have discovered a new bamboo
supplier (the one Martha uses!) and will now have a much broader
spectrum of bamboo available.
The
genus Phyllostachys supplies the majority of familiar bamboo
species, including Golden and Black Bamboo. We are getting
some different species from this group. Two that are really
exciting are P. atrovaginata and P. heteroclada. Both species
have air canals in the rhizomes and roots, which allow them
to grow in wet soils. Another Phyllostachys variety new to
us is P. dulcis or Sweetshoot Bamboo. This is a timber bamboo
grown in China for its edible shoots.
Clumping
bamboos have traditionally been hard to find. We will be receiving
several nice varieties of Fargesia. These will grow in vase-shaped
clumps that may be weeping or nodding. The foliage of Fargesias
is finely textured and the culms often have blue or purple
stems.
Our
new stock of Bamboo will include several groundcover forms.
Two that are most intriguing are Indocalamus tessellatus and
Pleioblastus akebono. P. akebono will stay at most 18"
tall and does best in the shade; new leaves emerge nearly
pure white and slowly turn green. I. Tessellatus can be taller
(3-6 feet) and has some of the largest leaves of any bamboo.
Reaching 4 inches by two feet, these leaves are often used
like banana leaves or corn husks in cooking.
Another
new feature is bamboo that does well indoors. We will have
3 varieties - Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr'
with green and gold striped culms; Pseudosasa japonica tsutsumiana,
called "Green Onion Bamboo" for its swollen internodes;
and Yushiania anceps, featured in Sunset magazine.
Altogether
we'll be getting over 25 brand-new varieties, and we're
anxious to share them with you. Enthusiasts will also want
to come to the Bamboo Society's annual Show and Sale
here at Sky on September 16th and 17th.
By
Charlie Shull, W.C.N.
Skylights Spring, Vol 14, No. 1
Other
articles on trees and shrubs
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