...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.
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:
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| Phllostachys nigra |
Others do not:
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| Phllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' |
Such color variation! Some have the waxy powder in large amounts:
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| Phllostachys bissetii |
Some are hairy:
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| Phllostachys nigra |
Big sheath blade differences too:
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| 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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I admire your dedication to caring for such a mammoth plant--"grove" describes it well--they are like a mass of trees. How big is your lot that you have the space for such giants?
ReplyDeleteHoov: If I remember right it's about 1/3 acre. But I have 30-ish bamboos, so none of them has a huge amount of space.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing the various shoots side by side. I had never reflected on how different they are, but .... well, I think that's just one of those things that is obvious, but that just never crossed my mind. Thanks for pointing it out!
ReplyDeleteThose are some strange looking asparagus. Bamboo shooting time (panic time) is a lot of fun and always a bit of a surprise. It doesn't start in my garden until it warms up a bit more but I always keep a few around to admire.
ReplyDeleteI only have four bamboos and I've been delighting in watching my Fargesia rufa shoot. It started weeks ago. Meanwhile, robusta has barely begun and nitida hasn't even started. I'd have to redo entire areas of the garden and get rid of other plants to add more bamboo at this point, but I'm determined to have lots of bamboo in my next garden.
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