In article ,
says...
In article ,
Janet Tweedy wrote:

In article . com, Dave
Poole writes
Janet, the rampant species and variants have given the entire family a
bad name, which is a great shame because there are plenty of non-
invasive bamboos that are easily accommodated where space is
limited.

Sasa species can be a nightmare

Snip ... a fascinating lot of information David! ..Snip

Similar in height (maybe just a bit taller) with a more open habit is
F. scabrida, which is reputedly one of the food plants of the giant
panda. The clusters of leaflets are carried in a somewhat layered
fashion on old well established clumps and the growth seems slightly
more open than that of F. nitida. It takes some tracking down, but if
you inadvertently come across one you can safely plant without fear of
a triffidic invasion.


I wouldn't bother with Fargesia Nitida at present since its flowering
and dying everywhere. Responsible nurseries probably won't sell it.
Similarly Fargesia Murielae flowered a few years ago so its probably
in short supply.
If you really want to grow them in pots, there's an article in the
latest issue of, er, well, the Journal of the Bamboo Society. It looks
hard work. I don't think the bamboos will take much notice of your
fleece lined pots. The rhizome tips are nicely pointed and will
punch holes right through fleece. You might try fine stainless steel
mesh?

j

I was thinking of trying an old stainless steel automatic washing maching
drum buried to see if that would slow one of the invasive sorts up, as
David Poole says several do have rather good leaves but a dare not risk
it having seen the devastation at Trenweignton where they are trying to
remove a Sasa type. On my light soil the Phyllostachs sorts I can cope
with.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea