What the snow did: not much

Just a quick look at what the heavy snow we received last weekend did. If you remember, the bamboos looked particularly distressed, bent all the way to the ground.

For the most part, they've bounced back as expected -- I do have some work to do though.

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The Phyllostachys bissetii along my driveway has been the most problematic for me, even when not weighed down by hundreds of pounds of snow. It has not straightened completely up after the snow.

The supports I've added and strengthened the last couple years to keep this bamboo upright have now essentially been destroyed:

This pole should be vertical.

I do have an idea of how to fix this permanently, but I may not be able to work on that for a few weeks -- so I'm stuck with arching culms for a while.

The Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' which was bent over onto the pergola is back completely upright (maybe very slightly leaning):

While the Phyllostachys aureosulcata ("Yellow Groove" bamboo) is almost, but not quite so:

It's leaning a bit to the left and backward. I need to get a rope up in there and pull the whole thing more upright.

(You may remember that each of these two bamboos are held into a "bunch" by wire, with only a few stray culms at the edges that are loose.)

There was one curvy Yellow Groove culm that broke:

Those bent culms are not as strong as the straight ones.

The Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' is back upright too, except for one culm that broke here too:

That was a nice fat one too, darn it.

These smaller bamboos were all flattened to the ground and snow-covered -- you couldn't even tell they were there:

No apparent damage to any of them, but a few broken culms wouldn't even be noticeable with these.

L to R: Shibatea kumasaca, Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima', and
Indocalamus 'Solidus'. That's Sasaella bitchuensis in front. Far right in
back is another Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa'

My oldest Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' -- the one next to the patio -- was also bent to the ground but has revived:

This one has always been a bit droopy for me so I'm glad to see it back upright. Looking inside the plant I'm hesitant to thin out the culms even though it needs it...

...as I believe they're supporting each other. Maybe I'll see if it finally starts putting up some stronger culms this year before deciding to thin (but without thinning how will the larger culms find room to grow?)


So not too much concern with the bamboos and the heavy snow. I hope that was the last snow we're going to have to deal with until next winter though.

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