Our bamboos - Mark and Carole Meckes - Austin TX USA

[Mark Meckes]

I began growing bamboo and had a collection of around 50 species in Pennsylvania in the 1980's.
When I met Carole and moved to Austin Texas in 2000 I didn't bring any bamboos with me. Carole already had a back yard full of bamboo with little space at the time for new plantings.

Since then our bamboo collection has grown to 40 species.
Most are fairly recent plantings of around 3-4 years.
Some are still in containers awaiting their final destination, or to be kept as a container plant.
Our predominant bamboo species, which came with the house and covers 1+ acre is Phyllostachys aurea.
This autumn/winter 2006/07 we are preparing a new area of our property to transplant some of our newer bamboo species to.

Mark

Our bamboos - Rough draft

Bambusa beecheyana - Planted 2002 (Carole's note: This plant really took off after it went in the ground. 2008 does not do that great at our place).
Bambusa vulgaris 'Vittata' - Planted 2004 in ground but killed back each winter and has gotten smaller each year. Dug up, potted it for winter 2007 but most of the rhizomes rotted away except for one single 1/2" culm section. Didn't like the transplant and has wilted.
Bambusa multiplex - Planted 2002
Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5116&cat=569) - Planted 1998
Bambusa multiplex 'Golden Goddess' (I think) - Planted 2002
Bambusa multiplex 'Tiny Fern Striped' - Planted 2002. In 2005 began to revert to what appears to be B.m.'Golden Goddess'. Allowing reversion to take place and may move portions of original plant.
Bambusa oldhamii - (Carole's note: Carole started this from a culm cutting about winter time 1994.) Planted 1997. Top killed by 2002 cold winter, moved to new spot in 2003. Doing great in 2008.
Bambusa textilis - rooted cutting made by Carole in 2004. Note: planted in the ground by Carole in November 2007.
Bambusa tuldoides 'Ventricosa' - Received 2002 as a small tissue cultured plant. Planted in ground 2003.
Bambusa tuldoides 'Ventricosa Clone X' Received 1gal cutting 2004, planted in ground.

Chimonobambusa marmorea - Planted 2003
Chimonobambusa marmorea 'Variegata' - Planted 2003

Dendrocalamus strictus - given as a small seedling, 2003 - labeled as Dendrocalamus asper - I recently ID'd it as D. strictus - Growing in container, planted in ground mid summer 2006, dug it up, repotted it for winter months.

Hibanobambusa tranquillans - Planted 2004

Indocalamus tessellatus - Planted 2004

Otatea acuminata ssp. aztecorum - Planted 2004

Phyllostachys aurea (our main grove - 1+ acres, came with the house and guess it may have been planted in 1950's - 60's (?) ... See thread: Our Grove - P. aurea (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=563)
Phyllostachys aurea 'Flavescens Inversa' - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys bambusoides - Planted 2004
Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillon' - we had this for several years but the leaves annually became sickly looking and is the only bamboo that I have intentionally cut back and killed off.
Phyllostachys bissetii - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys edulis - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys elegans - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys meyeri (in container) - Received 2004
Phyllostachys nigra - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys rubromarginata - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys viridis - Planted 2003
Phyllostachys viridis 'Robert Young' - Planted 2003

Pleioblastus distichus 'Mini' - Planted 2002, and plant in container
Pleioblastus chino - Received 2000 - in container. Need to plant out, grow on and confirm ID.
Pleioblastus chino 'Elegantissimus' Received 2002 - in container. Need to plant out, grow on and confirm ID.
Pleioblastus simonii - Planted 2004

Psuedosasa japonica - Planted 2003
Pseudosasa japonica 'Tsutsumiana' - Planted 2004

Sasa veitchii - received 2003 - In container, soon to be planted

Sasaella masamuneana 'Albostriata' - Planted 2004

Semiarundinaria fastuosa - Planted 2003

Shibataea chinensis - Planted 2002. Small plant labeled as S. kumasaca but has only grown 2ft tall, though spread is 12+ft, so I'm guessing it might be S. chinensis

Sinobambusa tootsik 'Albostriata' - Planted 2004

[CaroleMeckes]

I've added Chimonobambusa quadrangularis - square bamboo (2 plants put in the ground) Feb 2007

Carole

[ghmerrill]

That is a really great bamboo! I love them, and got one last summer, which I planted in the fall... it was promply eaten by something underground. I pulled the remnants and potted them back up, and after acquiring another one, dug a pit, lined with chicken wire, and planted, so I am looking foreward to seeing the growth. I think that the thorns that form on the nodes are a really cool feature, and I love the tiered look they get.

Gene

[CaroleMeckes]

Thanks for the heads up on the square bamboo - it will be great to see it close up.

Chimonobambusa quadrangularis was the next one that Mark had been planning on adding to our garden. I put it way down the hill in an out of the way spot - so anyone who wants to see it - will have to climb down...

Carole

[ghmerrill]

They are so nice, you will probably regret that later! or get lots of exercise! I have heard they do well in pots, so after yours takes off, you can always try that, should you ever want one close by.

Gene

[CaroleMeckes]

My reasoning for planting the quadrangularis down the hill was so that it would have room to develop without having to compete with other bamboos.
So far there is a new planting of Phyllostachys nigra and a Bambusa textilis in its general vicinity. All the areas up closer to the house are already pretty full of multiple species.

I doubt that I will be able to control all these bamboos without Mark. (He was always digging out rhizomes at the edges of the plantings.) It is going to be a big challenge for me and I will have to put all my "learned knowledge" to a real live test...

Most recently, I have been harvesting dry canes from the main aurea grove, but now I have placed that sanctuary area "off limits" as the bamboo is shooting and the new culms are at the stage where they are "poppin up" and I do not want to step on them and damage them.

I do have plenty of other bamboo things to do in the meantime....

Carole

[ghmerrill]

My P. aureasulcata spectabalis is shooting right now... i discovered that after stepping on a new shoot that was still hidden in some leaves-OOPS!

glad spring decided to put in an aprearence though!

[Dean W.]

Carole, maybe one weekend I could come over and help you out.

Dean

[CaroleMeckes]

Thanks for the offer Dean - I will keep you in mind.
In the meantime, I want to wait till the shooting season is over.

The first bamboo to shoot here is:
Phyllostachys elegans (these culms never live very long and usually lose their leaves I think in the second year. A small plant of it is visiably flowering.

Next one to shoot is Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis

followed by
Phyllostachys aurea. Interesting to observe is that the aurea shoots first inside the edges of the grove and is just starting to shoot on the hillside area.

Phyllostachys bissetii (which is way down the hill also shot before the aurea and headed toward the drainage easement.

Phyllostachys nigra is just starting to shoot.

also Psuedosasa japonica, Chimonobamusa marmorea and I think the Pseudosasa japonica 'Tsutsumiana' is also moving...

Carole

[Dean W.]

Okay, let me know! :)

Dean