ShmuBamboo
10th June 2007, 05:08 PM
I get many questions about why am I so insane to actually gather, plant and propogate bamboo here. The locals think that I am nuts. "It will take over," they say. I chuckle. Visitors say, "It is invasive!" I say phooey. I read on the Aussy web sites that runner types of bamboos are restricted for sale by nurseries there. Seems odd. They flower so rarely that they cannot possibly 'take over' in the way that some invasive species have here, like blackberry and scotch brooms. OK, they have roots that grow under fences and they do like to expand. My brother's neighbors in the suburbs are very nervous of his bamboo collection, which has indeed expanded to great extent. However, he feeds and waters them, and encourages them to grow into a lush scenic scapes on a 7,000 sq ft lot.
However, there are large bamboo stands here on the ranch of 'evil' golden and 'terrible' black that have been in the ground for over 15 years. They have pretty much stayed in the area that they were planted in. There are none in the 20 acres of pastures, none in the 80 some-odd forested acres, none along the roads, and none in the neighbors' yards (if you can call them neighbors, the nearest is a quarter mile from here), and none in the hundreds of square miles of commercial timber land that surrounds this property. Scotch brooms, blackberry and hawthorns? They are all everywhere, for thousands of square miles and beyond.
So to say that bamboo is invasive? Methinks not. Anyway, in response to all the queries about why I am so insane to grow bamboo here, I think of more reasons every day. I suppose the main reason I grow them is that they are deer and elk proof. The deer and elk eat pretty much everything here except blueberries, rhodies and bamboo. So called deer-resistant plants like wysteria are a delicacy for them. Roses, marionberries and willows are a smorgasboard for them to dine on. Heck, they even ate my potatoes and tomatoes last year, which are poisonous to them. Fruit trees! Yummy! At least the sheep are short and cannot jump fences. They will even eat the blueberries, rhodies and bamboo, if given the chance. They prefer bamboo above all, and I feed my favorite sheep the bamboo cuttings when I prune them.
So... here is my list of the top 15 reasons that I grow bamboo:
1) Bullet-proof and easy to grow. Tolerates neglect and brown thumbs.
2) Deer-proof. The deer and elk ignore it and do not eat it.
3) Evergreen. Bamboo is good for otherwise dreary scenery here in winter.
4) Cold tolerant. Many types do well to 15 degrees F. (typical low here)
5) Drought tolerant. Does well in the dry summers we have.
6) Environmentally friendly. The birds, frogs and snakes love it.
7) Aesthetically pleasing. They look good year round.
8) Privacy screening. They make good screens for private areas.
9) Fast growing. Sleep, creep, and leap!
10) Provide building materials. Deer fence, bean, tree and vine poles.
11) Grow in ground and pots. Easy to landscape with and move around.
12) Easy to propagate. Invasive nature lends itself to good supply.
13) Source of food. Many shoots edible. Sheep love bamboo leaves.
14) Erosion control. Good for bank stabilization.
15) Since so many people do not like it, it is easy (in my case anyway) to build up a quality collection of evil unwanted plants!
However, there are large bamboo stands here on the ranch of 'evil' golden and 'terrible' black that have been in the ground for over 15 years. They have pretty much stayed in the area that they were planted in. There are none in the 20 acres of pastures, none in the 80 some-odd forested acres, none along the roads, and none in the neighbors' yards (if you can call them neighbors, the nearest is a quarter mile from here), and none in the hundreds of square miles of commercial timber land that surrounds this property. Scotch brooms, blackberry and hawthorns? They are all everywhere, for thousands of square miles and beyond.
So to say that bamboo is invasive? Methinks not. Anyway, in response to all the queries about why I am so insane to grow bamboo here, I think of more reasons every day. I suppose the main reason I grow them is that they are deer and elk proof. The deer and elk eat pretty much everything here except blueberries, rhodies and bamboo. So called deer-resistant plants like wysteria are a delicacy for them. Roses, marionberries and willows are a smorgasboard for them to dine on. Heck, they even ate my potatoes and tomatoes last year, which are poisonous to them. Fruit trees! Yummy! At least the sheep are short and cannot jump fences. They will even eat the blueberries, rhodies and bamboo, if given the chance. They prefer bamboo above all, and I feed my favorite sheep the bamboo cuttings when I prune them.
So... here is my list of the top 15 reasons that I grow bamboo:
1) Bullet-proof and easy to grow. Tolerates neglect and brown thumbs.
2) Deer-proof. The deer and elk ignore it and do not eat it.
3) Evergreen. Bamboo is good for otherwise dreary scenery here in winter.
4) Cold tolerant. Many types do well to 15 degrees F. (typical low here)
5) Drought tolerant. Does well in the dry summers we have.
6) Environmentally friendly. The birds, frogs and snakes love it.
7) Aesthetically pleasing. They look good year round.
8) Privacy screening. They make good screens for private areas.
9) Fast growing. Sleep, creep, and leap!
10) Provide building materials. Deer fence, bean, tree and vine poles.
11) Grow in ground and pots. Easy to landscape with and move around.
12) Easy to propagate. Invasive nature lends itself to good supply.
13) Source of food. Many shoots edible. Sheep love bamboo leaves.
14) Erosion control. Good for bank stabilization.
15) Since so many people do not like it, it is easy (in my case anyway) to build up a quality collection of evil unwanted plants!