"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"mrs-baggins" wrote in message
...

I know there are loads of variety of bamboos about but has anyone any
experience of growing bamboo on a clay soil? I would like a bamboo to
grow to about 3 m to use as screening but a small bamboo i have had for
years just hasnt grown at all and it may just be my clay soil

I do not know any bamboo varieties by name but some will form dense
curtains/screens. Unfortunately, these ones do not know when to stop and
are very invasive and hard to control. One trick is to "contain" them by
mowing i.e. have lawn up to the edge of the screen and keep the grass cut.
The most likely explanation for the slow growth is the variety rather than
the soil but that is a guess as I have never grown any; they sound scary.

http://www.stambamboo.com/

These guys above have a famous bamboo nursery in Ireland and their web
site gives some info.



--
mrs-baggins
I am pretty certain stambamboo supply a lot of the UK stuff that is sold.
The invasive bit really is overdone. In ideal conditions some varieties may
run but it does not happen overnight.
I have several so called invasive species planted about 6 years ago which
have clumped up slightly.
I should be so lucky that they take off with a vengeance and make me rich.
I think Stam or some other big grower refers to the silly prices that these
plants command.