Jed Spud wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend plants that will quickly grow to produce some
substitute cane material, not necessarily as long lasting as bamboo, but
free would be a fair trade off.


Hello Jed,
Stems of the Spindle Tree (Euonymous europeus) would make reasonable canes.
However, they will not grow as rapidly as bamboo canes, nor as tall as some.
None-the-less, they put on reasonable, *straight* growth in a season if
coppiced.
Another suggestion might be a coppiced willow (salix sp.), but you would
have to be certain the wood was dead before using it as a stake, unless you
want a garden full of willow trees!
Almost any sufficiently long, disease-free woody prunings would do the job -
even if only for aseason.
Spider