I have mentioned this before, but wonder how widespread this
occurrence is.
My bamboo (phylostachys) which I have had for nearly 20 years, has
died. It turned brown last Autumn and I realised it was flowering:
not a good omen, as I have heard of this phenomenon of all plants of
one species flowering and dying.
My dughter-in-law has one, a piece off mine. It is gone the same way.
I have also seen 3 more in the same condition. One in a private
garden, one at Westonbirt and one at Forde Abbey, both the latter 2
were huge clumps, certainly older than my 20-year-old.
Has anyone experienced this?
Does anyone know whether they ever grow back?
In the wild presumably they seed themselves, but I have cut mine to
the ground as it looked so ugly.

Pam in Bristol

On 15 Apr, 22:17, Pam Moore wrote:
I have mentioned this before, but wonder how widespread this
occurrence is.
My bamboo (phylostachys) which I have had for nearly 20 years, has
died. It turned brown last Autumn and I realised it was flowering:
not a good omen, as I have heard of this phenomenon of all plants of
one species flowering and dying.
My dughter-in-law has one, a piece off mine. It is gone the same way.
I have also seen 3 more in the same condition. One in a private
garden, one at Westonbirt and one at Forde Abbey, both the latter 2
were huge clumps, certainly older than my 20-year-old.
Has anyone experienced this?
Does anyone know whether they ever grow back?
In the wild presumably they seed themselves, but I have cut mine to
the ground as it looked so ugly.

Pam in Bristol

I had the same problem about 5 years ago, nothing regrew, but I have
had a couple of seedling clumps come back, though the sparrows had a
field day , and I never thought to collect seed.
I left the stems in place and grew morning glory up them, looked good.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Our bamboo wall went to the bamboo god in the ground as well. We've left it to see if there is any regrowth, time will tell.

However, I did take some of the surplus bamboo and use it to frame a pathway. We cut it down to 4ft 2 years ago and have kept it the same height ever since - it's still alive and very healthy.

Anyone any idea why one lot went to seed and the other is fine?

On 15 Apr 2007 14:44:15 -0700, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

I had the same problem about 5 years ago, nothing regrew, but I have
had a couple of seedling clumps come back, though the sparrows had a
field day , and I never thought to collect seed.
I left the stems in place and grew morning glory up them, looked good.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Thanks for that Dave. Interesting! Sadly I've already cut mine down!

Pam in Bristol

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:

On 15 Apr 2007 14:44:15 -0700, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

I had the same problem about 5 years ago, nothing regrew, but I have
had a couple of seedling clumps come back, though the sparrows had a
field day , and I never thought to collect seed.
I left the stems in place and grew morning glory up them, looked good.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Thanks for that Dave. Interesting! Sadly I've already cut mine down!

Pam in Bristol

Are you sure it was a Phyllostachys? Much more likely
to have been Fargesia Nitida - which is flowering worldwide
at present. Google ("fargesia nitida" flowering) etc.
Likely it won't resuscitate. Do you have seedlings, or seed.

http://www.americanbamboo.org/Genera...ooFlowers.html
http://www.inbar.int/flowering/main.htm

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:35:09 +0100, John McMillan
wrote:

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:

On 15 Apr 2007 14:44:15 -0700, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

I had the same problem about 5 years ago, nothing regrew, but I have
had a couple of seedling clumps come back, though the sparrows had a
field day , and I never thought to collect seed.
I left the stems in place and grew morning glory up them, looked good.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Thanks for that Dave. Interesting! Sadly I've already cut mine down!

Pam in Bristol

Are you sure it was a Phyllostachys? Much more likely
to have been Fargesia Nitida - which is flowering worldwide
at present. Google ("fargesia nitida" flowering) etc.
Likely it won't resuscitate. Do you have seedlings, or seed.

http://www.americanbamboo.org/Genera...ooFlowers.html
http://www.inbar.int/flowering/main.htm

Thanks for that, John. Sadly I have cut it down, and realised too late
I should have saved a cane or two for seed.
I bought it at Wisley, nearly 20 years ago. It was labelled
"phyllostachys nigra" and I always complained it was not nigra.
However, the canes I have saved (minus seed heads!) do now appear
black. They certainly weren't black when in healthy growth!
I have always understood it to be phyllostachys. Will read up on it.
Thanks

Pam in Bristol

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:35:09 +0100, John McMillan
wrote:

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:

On 15 Apr 2007 14:44:15 -0700, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

I had the same problem about 5 years ago, nothing regrew, but I have
had a couple of seedling clumps come back, though the sparrows had a
field day , and I never thought to collect seed.
I left the stems in place and grew morning glory up them, looked good.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Thanks for that Dave. Interesting! Sadly I've already cut mine down!

Pam in Bristol

Are you sure it was a Phyllostachys? Much more likely
to have been Fargesia Nitida - which is flowering worldwide
at present. Google ("fargesia nitida" flowering) etc.
Likely it won't resuscitate. Do you have seedlings, or seed.

http://www.americanbamboo.org/Genera...ooFlowers.html
http://www.inbar.int/flowering/main.htm

Thanks for that, John. Sadly I have cut it down, and realised too late
I should have saved a cane or two for seed.
I bought it at Wisley, nearly 20 years ago. It was labelled
"phyllostachys nigra" and I always complained it was not nigra.
However, the canes I have saved (minus seed heads!) do now appear
black. They certainly weren't black when in healthy growth!
I have always understood it to be phyllostachys. Will read up on it.
Thanks

Pam in Bristol

Bamboos are notoriously difficult to identify, even if you're
an expert. Fargesia nitida can have blackish stems. Often
they have greyish bloom - which Phyllostachys Nigra doesn't have.
The culm sheaths are longer and stay on the plant longer.
Of course, having had the plant die, then cut down does make
identification even more difficult and, of course, pointless.

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:26:35 +0100, John McMillan
wrote:


Bamboos are notoriously difficult to identify, even if you're
an expert. Fargesia nitida can have blackish stems. Often
they have greyish bloom - which Phyllostachys Nigra doesn't have.
The culm sheaths are longer and stay on the plant longer.
Of course, having had the plant die, then cut down does make
identification even more difficult and, of course, pointless.


Interesting!
It makes little difference now, but my bamboo was bought at WISLEY
labelled phyllostachys nigra. It never had black stems, but now I've
cut it down and kept some canes for use, they are blackish with a
definite bloom on them. The sheaths did stay on rather long.
Oh well, mine's gone anyway!

Pam in Bristol