What temperate bamboos look best in winter, and maintain their foliage? I'm
particularly interested in what makes the best winter-time screen. We're
talking winter so I'm looking for responses from zones 5, 6 and 7. Thanks
for any info.

-------
Bob

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 19:08:31 -0400, "Bob Hardy"
wrote:

What temperate bamboos look best in winter, and maintain their foliage? I'm
particularly interested in what makes the best winter-time screen. We're
talking winter so I'm looking for responses from zones 5, 6 and 7. Thanks
for any info.

-------
Bob


I would at first, see what, if any, Bamboos have been already used in
your area. the growing of bamboo is still in its infancy in the USA
and thus, opportunities for experimentation abound. what you might do
is look up what parts of Japan and China have a climate with YOUR
winter. Our clients have grown some plants against our best most
conservative suggestions at temps which were far lower than the
official suggested minimums. what i would do is plant a variety of
Phyllostachys and see what performs best for you. Black bamboo is a
very transparent screen, by the way. it is lacy. P. bambusoides is a
more vigorous grower, with larger leaves and is often pictures in
woodcuts, bent almost double from the weight of snow and ice.

"Bob Hardy" wrote in message news:jcZlb.90937$sp2.48314@lakeread04...
What temperate bamboos look best in winter, and maintain their foliage? I'm
particularly interested in what makes the best winter-time screen. We're
talking winter so I'm looking for responses from zones 5, 6 and 7. Thanks
for any info.

-------
Bob

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

Beecrofter wrote in message
om...
"Bob Hardy" wrote in message
news:jcZlb.90937$sp2.48314@lakeread04...
What temperate bamboos look best in winter, and maintain their foliage?
I'm
particularly interested in what makes the best winter-time screen.
We're
talking winter so I'm looking for responses from zones 5, 6 and 7.
Thanks
for any info.

-------
Bob

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

Thanks. Do the forms blend well? Decora seems more upright to me that the
other two. Maybe if I saw them together, they would be nearly
indistinguishable.

Flowering affects different bamboos differently. The result ranges from
complete death of the plant to no effect at all on the plant. I don't know
about the others, but you don't need to worry about P aureosulcata. It
flowers fairly frequently with no adverse effect.

-------
Bob

Thanks. I'm afraid the most common "bamboo" up here is Japanese knotweed
;-). Actually, P. Aureosulcata and its varieties, P. Bissetti, Nuda, and
Decora are grown (and a couple of other phyllostachys I can't remember).

Although some varieties may be hardier than generally rated, the surprise
here was that last winter's colder than normal northeast winter killed quite
a bit of the Phyllostachys Nigra to the ground, although there was no
apparent rhizome damage.

------
Bob


hermine stover wrote in message
...

I would at first, see what, if any, Bamboos have been already used in
your area. the growing of bamboo is still in its infancy in the USA
and thus, opportunities for experimentation abound. what you might do
is look up what parts of Japan and China have a climate with YOUR
winter. Our clients have grown some plants against our best most
conservative suggestions at temps which were far lower than the
official suggested minimums. what i would do is plant a variety of
Phyllostachys and see what performs best for you. Black bamboo is a
very transparent screen, by the way. it is lacy. P. bambusoides is a
more vigorous grower, with larger leaves and is often pictures in
woodcuts, bent almost double from the weight of snow and ice.

-
Bob

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

Thanks. Do the forms blend well? Decora seems more upright to me that the
other two. Maybe if I saw them together, they would be nearly
indistinguishable.

bissetti tends to arch over, where that is undesirable I pass a rope
around a section of the grove. Otherwise they blend well.

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

How oftern they flower, every year, once in 2/3 years?
Where can I buy from in New England area?
Do I plant one rhyzome or a few?
Are they invasive type? Iam looking one with more stem/bamboo than
folliage for planting around my warer garden and not to invade other
area.

TIA

Sam

On 12 Nov 2003 09:04:53 -0800, (sams) wrote:

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

How oftern they flower, every year, once in 2/3 years?
Where can I buy from in New England area?
Do I plant one rhyzome or a few?
Are they invasive type? Iam looking one with more stem/bamboo than
folliage for planting around my warer garden and not to invade other
area.

TIA

Sam


try The New England Bamboo Company, they are near Boston. Burt
Associates is another New Enland based company. i have their whole
address somewhere, if you cannot find them on the net, write to me and
i will go to the OTHER computer and send you their contact
information.
it is wise to use Bamboo grown in your own climate, we strongly
advocate that whenever it is possible.

with a few exceptions which are both tropical and noteworthy, the
flowering of bamboo is in cycles which may be huge. For example, in
the long history of its cultivation, Bambusa vulgaris vitata has never
flowered. whereas, Mexican Weeping Bamboo, a lovely one, flowered
itself to death and produced so much fertile seed, that its children,
perhaps 12 years old, are HUGE LANDSCAPE SPECIMENS today.

There is also a kind of temporary flowering which is induced by awful
stress. it goes away.

MOST of the bamboo which are hardy in your area are of the invasive
sort, but really, they are easily contained by means of sub soil
barriers.

hermine
http://www.endangeredspecies.com

On 12 Nov 2003 09:04:53 -0800, (sams) wrote:

Here in Z6 CT a screen of P.bissetti, P. decora , and P. aureosulcata
does well all winter. The leaves will winterburn if you have
prolonged dry cold winds.
Mixing a few species keeps you from losing the screen should one
flower.

How oftern they flower, every year, once in 2/3 years?
Where can I buy from in New England area?
Do I plant one rhyzome or a few?
Are they invasive type? Iam looking one with more stem/bamboo than
folliage for planting around my warer garden and not to invade other
area.

TIA

Sam


try The New England Bamboo Company, they are near Boston. Burt
Associates is another New Enland based company. i have their whole
address somewhere, if you cannot find them on the net, write to me and
i will go to the OTHER computer and send you their contact
information.
it is wise to use Bamboo grown in your own climate, we strongly
advocate that whenever it is possible.

with a few exceptions which are both tropical and noteworthy, the
flowering of bamboo is in cycles which may be huge. For example, in
the long history of its cultivation, Bambusa vulgaris vitata has never
flowered. whereas, Mexican Weeping Bamboo, a lovely one, flowered
itself to death and produced so much fertile seed, that its children,
perhaps 12 years old, are HUGE LANDSCAPE SPECIMENS today.

There is also a kind of temporary flowering which is induced by awful
stress. it goes away.

MOST of the bamboo which are hardy in your area are of the invasive
sort, but really, they are easily contained by means of sub soil
barriers.

hermine
http://www.endangeredspecies.com