Bamboo is a very popular plant for sale in Garden Centres but it's unfortunate that all too often people are unable to make an informed choice at the point of purchase. It is a beautiful plant but it should not be purchased on an impulse which could cause a lot of heart and back ache!

(I wanted to add a picture of my bamboos but no joy despite being well within image criteria (55KB) I'm having problems posting it - so you may not see anything - but I'll continue with writing this post ...... There's no FAQ I can see. So send me a private message and I'll upload later)

Bamboo is a grass and it grows like one. Spread is infinite. I don't go a bundle on restrictive skirts - ultimately. They assume that in all their evolutionary milenia bamboo never encountered a stone in the ground! Stones in the ground slow them down and that's about it. We're talking about a plant with a tensile strength of 50,000psi (mild steel is 60K). When bamboo roots encounter an obstacle they surface and travel until they find a route back underground.

Bamboos need moisture, dehydration is likely to be their biggest enemy. MOST have root systems that travel down to about 2ft, one exception are the chuqueas (4ft). Some will send up new culms about ever 2" (Semiarundinaria yashedake 'Kimmei') along their runs, with others it can be yards!

Not surprisingly the attractive broader-leaved sasas and pseudosasas are being marketed a lot as a result of their shorter stature, but what they lack in height they more than make up for in spread. This is rarely mentioned.

So before you buy check around, make your purchase based upon an informed decision and then enjoy this beautiful plant - you won't have to wait long!