More bamboo shoots

After fighting with the driveway bamboo while building the support to help keep it upright, it's time for some bamboo love...

...and there's nothing I love more in the garden than bamboo shooting season! I've got four different Phyllostachys species shown here, all shooting at the same time. From bottom to top it's Ph. nigra, Ph. aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis', Ph. propinqua 'Beijing', and Ph. bissetii.

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I think bamboo shoots are beautiful, especially when seen up close and when you can compare the shoots of different species or varieties.

Some (like Ph. nigra) have prominent oral setae:

Phllostachys nigra

Others do not:

Phllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis'

Such color variation! Some have the waxy powder in large amounts:

Phllostachys bissetii

Some are hairy:

Phllostachys nigra

Big sheath blade differences too:

Phllostachys propinqua 'Beijing' in center with the purple sheaths

The best thing about bamboo shoots though is you never know where exactly they'll come up, how many there will be, or what sizes to expect!

I've let my Ph. aureosulcata 'Spectablis' grove expand a little bit:

I can't imagine my garden without bamboo, and any Spring without bamboo shoots would be a boring one!


Do you have a favorite shoot (shown here or in your own garden)?

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