"Rosemary" wrote in message
k...
Hello
Can you 'prune' a bamboo to shorten it and will the leaves grow from the
top
again the next year? Or is it better to 'thin it out by cutting a few
canes
back each year so that they grow up in stages over the years (The canes
provide something of a screen so dont want to cut them all down in one go)

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks for any advice

Rosemary

No you can not shorten existing canes but yes its ok to remove canes
completely and you can also remove all the leaves and side shoots up to
about half the height to reveal the canes fully.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea