On 15 Feb, 17:46, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:
In message , David in
Normandy writes

Stewart Robert Hinsley says...
Many plants flower once and then die, including annuals and biennials.

Would it be worth while collecting any seeds from a gone-
to-seed bamboo and sowing them? Do they need any special
climate or care to germinate?

He'd either succeed or he wouldn't. Advice on germinating bamboo can be
found on the internet, but in addition to the usual caveats about
believing everything you read on the internet, any advice found may not
apply to all species.



I saw a huge bamboo clump at some famous country house on
TV that was supposedly very old (may have been 50+ years
but I can't remember) and the head gardener was quite sad
because the clump was flowering and he would lose the lot.

Would any young runners from the parent bamboo also die?

Some supposedly monocarpic plants (e.g. Agave, Yucca) also reproduce
vegetatively, but the stereotype of the gregariously monocarpic bamboos
is that the whole clump dies. The real life answer may well be that it
depends on the species.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

I had 3 clumps of Bamboo that flowered 5 or 6 years ago, and I didn't
collect the seed, but the sparrows had a great time.
The clumps died but made a great frame for morning glory for a couple
of years, then last year a small clump appeared , must have been some
seed lying dormant.
Do try to save some seed fromm yours.
As for runners surviving, nothing comes through.Everything dies. They
do say that when a variety flowers it does so all over the world at
the same time. I do know that other clumps in this area, not related
all died.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries