bamboo without root runners

Bamboo without root runners - decorative and easy to plant.

Bamboo has become indispensable in gardens and green spaces. It is not for nothing that it is one of the most popular garden plants. Bamboo plants are a real eye-catcher and can be planted as an opaque screen as well as a solitary or tub plant. A bamboo plant suits every garden style and is more versatile than almost any other plant.

Two different bamboo genera

Botanically, bamboo plants belong to the sweet grasses. Their original home is mainly in East Asia. There, too, two fundamentally different genera can be found - the Phyllostachys species and the Fargesia species.

Both genera are similar in appearance, but differ in their root formation. Phyllostachys forms underground root runners, also called rhizomes. These spread more and more as the plant ages and can take over huge areas in the garden if they are not prevented from spreading.

Fargesia is a genus of bamboo that grows in clumps. The roots form very compact clumps, so the plant does not spread to the same extent as the Phyllostachys species. The horst-forming plants are originally found in the higher regions of China and Vietnam. These bamboo plants are winter-hardy due to the climatic conditions in their regions of origin and cope very well with our climate.

Planting bamboo correctly

Before you buy bamboo, you should not only consider where to place the plant in the garden. It is not only a matter of deciding whether you want to plant garden bamboo as a tub plant, as a solitary bamboo in the garden, or as a bamboo hedge. Rather, you have to make a choice in advance between the two genera Phyllostachys or Fargesia.

If you plant Phyllostachys bamboo, it is essential to place a rhizome barrier beforehand. This will prevent the plant from conquering unwanted areas in the garden with its root runners and displacing existing plants.

However, if you are buying a bamboo that forms clumps (non-proliferating bamboo), you can do without a rhizome barrier when planting the bamboo. Rhizome-forming garden bamboo is therefore easier to plant and is particularly suitable for planting a bamboo hedge.

Easy to care for and robust

The Fargesia species are just as easy to care for and robust as the Phyllostachys species. Most species are not very demanding in terms of soil conditions and can cope with almost any soil. The plants like a sunny to semi-shady location, retain their foliage even in winter and are an attractive sight at any time of year.

Clump-forming garden bamboo is well tolerant of pruning. Individual culms should be removed just above the ground for thinning. Bamboo hedges can be brought to the desired height by topiary. However, culms that are cut will no longer sprout at the intersections. Pruning should therefore always be done with the necessary care.

Clump-forming bamboo for every garden size

Among the clump-forming species there are those that, because of their relatively small size, are excellent for planting in containers or in a small garden. For example, the black umbrella bamboo or the red bamboo only reach a height of 250 cm to 300 cm. You can therefore buy a decorative bamboo for any size garden.

Other species, such as the umbrella bamboo rufa, with a maximum growth height of 400 cm to 500 cm, are best suited as a bamboo hedge. If you buy this bamboo, you should calculate about 4 to 5 plants per running metre of hedge.

Versatile for every garden style

Clump-forming garden bamboo is absolutely versatile. You can plant this bamboo in any garden style. According to its origin, it fits perfectly into Asian-style gardens. But bamboo is also an absolute highlight in the midst of a modern design in the garden. The lush green of the filigree bamboo leaves stands out particularly well in contrast to concrete or metal elements.

The evergreen garden bamboo goes excellently with flowering plants or green plants that, like the bamboo, prefer sunny to semi-shady locations. Flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons or hydrangeas add colourful accents. The horst-forming bamboo species can also be combined well with many perennials such as coneflowers. Since the roots do not form runners, they do not interfere with the growth of more sensitive perennials. You can therefore plant clump-forming bamboo and position perennials in close proximity.