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#1
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Black bamboo - bargain?
A friend of mine bought some good quality mature plants to dress a TV
location and he has over-ordered so is offering me a very tall black bamboo (approx 6m) in a large tub. He wants £100 for it and since I'm looking for some attractive screening plants anyway, I'm tempted. The plant looks healthy enough and is being regularly watered. There are approx 20 stems, a few of which are already black while others are presumably in the process of turning black. Lots of healthy looking leaves. First question: is this a steal at £100? Second question: Is the black bamboo one of the varieties that roots like a mad thing all over the place if not shackled? Third question: Can I leave this out all year round? Last question: My soil is clay and it gets pretty soft. Will it die if it doesn't have good drainage? Thanks for your help. Simon |
#2
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Black bamboo - bargain?
Stan The Man wrote:
Second question: Is the black bamboo one of the varieties that roots like a mad thing all over the place if not shackled? If you read most books it is clump forming and well behaved. mine was so for 5 years than last summer along with golden bamboo produced around 30m (sic) of 1" dia runners in a 5*4 courtyard! I read more books and in hot american zones it is noted as an invasive runner - it was in its element last summer! pk |
#3
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Black bamboo - bargain?
On 26/5/04 0:35, in article , "Stan The Man"
wrote: A friend of mine bought some good quality mature plants to dress a TV location and he has over-ordered so is offering me a very tall black bamboo (approx 6m) in a large tub. He wants £100 for it and since I'm looking for some attractive screening plants anyway, I'm tempted. The plant looks healthy enough and is being regularly watered. There are approx 20 stems, a few of which are already black while others are presumably in the process of turning black. Lots of healthy looking leaves. First question: is this a steal at £100? snip It could be cheaper, I think. Ours are 6', possibly not as bushy but not far off and sell for about £39.00. It's really a question of what else is available in your area and what price *that* is. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds after garden to email me) |
#4
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Black bamboo - bargain?
"Stan The Man" wrote in message ... A friend of mine bought some good quality mature plants to dress a TV location and he has over-ordered so is offering me a very tall black bamboo (approx 6m) in a large tub. He wants £100 for it and since I'm looking for some attractive screening plants anyway, I'm tempted. The plant looks healthy enough and is being regularly watered. There are approx 20 stems, a few of which are already black while others are presumably in the process of turning black. Lots of healthy looking leaves. First question: is this a steal at £100? Second question: Is the black bamboo one of the varieties that roots like a mad thing all over the place if not shackled? Third question: Can I leave this out all year round? Last question: My soil is clay and it gets pretty soft. Will it die if it doesn't have good drainage? Thanks for your help. From your description, it sounds like Phyllostachys nigra. It's a vigorous bamboo and it does run extensively but 6m tall is pretty large for this country. I'd expect 3m, maybe 4m, so it's possible that the plant has been grown in a polytunnel or has been imported from somewhere a bit warmer and I wouldn't think that subsequent canes would reach 6m. Having said that, P. nigra is perfectly hardy and I grew it in NE England for over 15 years, until I moved south. Most of the bamboos are pricey but this often reflects the effort needed to produce them. If it is 6m, then you're getting it for a good price. Smaller plants (say in 5 litre pots) can be up to £40 and I've seen 10 litre plants at £80. It's obviously up to you but my advice is always to get the cheapest (smallest) plant. They grow so fast that, IME, you're only a year or two behind the larger plants, anyway. Good luck. - Tom. |
#5
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Black bamboo - bargain?
"Stan The Man" wrote in message A friend of mine bought some good quality mature plants to dress a TV location and he has over-ordered so is offering me a very tall black bamboo (approx 6m) in a large tub. He wants £100 for it and since I'm looking for some attractive screening plants anyway, I'm tempted. The plant looks healthy enough and is being regularly watered. There are approx 20 stems, a few of which are already black while others are presumably in the process of turning black. Lots of healthy looking leaves. First question: is this a steal at £100? Too right, I've seen large pots, as you describe, of full sized 18ft (6m) black bamboo (scaffold pole diameter at base) going for about £750. Even ones at £320 weren't that tall. Second question: Is the black bamboo one of the varieties that roots like a mad thing all over the place if not shackled? Did run last summer in a neighbours garden but it has the reputation to be clump forming and not too invasive in the UK. Might be the weather last year. Third question: Can I leave this out all year round? Yes. Last question: My soil is clay and it gets pretty soft. Will it die if it doesn't have good drainage? No if my neighbours was anything to go by. -- Regards Bob Some photos of my plants at..... |
#6
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Black bamboo - bargain?
In message , "dave @ stejonda"
writes So they're a sixth of the size!!! why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? -- dave @ stejonda walks away shaking his head in despair |
#7
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Black bamboo - bargain?
On 26/5/04 6:18 pm, in article , "dave @
stejonda" wrote: In message , "dave @ stejonda" writes So they're a sixth of the size!!! why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Why was I thinking in feet?! I just can't do 'new money' seems to be the answer. So - that makes the bamboo quite a good buy, doesn't it? -- Sacha (remove the weeds after garden to email me) |
#8
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Black bamboo - bargain?
"dave @ stejonda" wrote:
why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Full fathom five my bamboo grows... Which reminds me that my favorite unit of speed is furlongs per fortnight. Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G |
#9
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Black bamboo - bargain?
In message , Gary Woods
writes "dave @ stejonda" wrote: why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Full fathom five my bamboo grows... I keep meaning to read more Sylvia Plath so that was an interesting diversion - thank-you - though I doubt bamboo would grow in sea-water. Which reminds me that my favorite unit of speed is furlongs per fortnight. Nice and gentle that. -- dave @ stejonda |
#10
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Black bamboo - bargain?
dave @ stejonda wrote:
In message , Gary Woods writes "dave @ stejonda" wrote: why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Full fathom five my bamboo grows... I keep meaning to read more Sylvia Plath so that was an interesting diversion - thank-you - though I doubt bamboo would grow in sea-water. Sylvia Plath? Surely "Full fathom five" is from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (Ariel's Song) http://www.potw.org/archive/potw190.html -- Howard Neil |
#11
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Black bamboo - bargain?
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#12
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Black bamboo - bargain?
In article , Bob Hobden
wrote: "Stan The Man" wrote in message A friend of mine bought some good quality mature plants to dress a TV location and he has over-ordered so is offering me a very tall black bamboo (approx 6m) in a large tub. He wants £100 for it and since I'm looking for some attractive screening plants anyway, I'm tempted. The plant looks healthy enough and is being regularly watered. There are approx 20 stems, a few of which are already black while others are presumably in the process of turning black. Lots of healthy looking leaves. First question: is this a steal at £100? Too right, I've seen large pots, as you describe, of full sized 18ft (6m) black bamboo (scaffold pole diameter at base) going for about £750. Even ones at £320 weren't that tall. Hm, this plant is certainly 6m tall and must presumably therefore be fully grown - but the stems are nothing like scaffold diameter. They are quite willowy and even at the base wouldn't be as much as one-third the diameter of a scaffold pole. Maybe it needs pruning to fatten it up? Simon |
#13
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Black bamboo - bargain?
In message , Howard Neil
writes dave @ stejonda wrote: In message , Gary Woods writes "dave @ stejonda" wrote: why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Full fathom five my bamboo grows... I keep meaning to read more Sylvia Plath so that was an interesting diversion - thank-you - though I doubt bamboo would grow in sea-water. Sylvia Plath? Surely "Full fathom five" is from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (Ariel's Song) http://www.potw.org/archive/potw190.html Excellent! So that's Plath making a reference to the bard. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/1397 -- dave @ stejonda |
#14
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Black bamboo - bargain?
In message , Stan The Man
writes Hm, this plant is certainly 6m tall and must presumably therefore be fully grown - but the stems are nothing like scaffold diameter. They are quite willowy and even at the base wouldn't be as much as one-third the diameter of a scaffold pole. Maybe it needs pruning to fatten it up? Or maybe its been forced to get it to grow tall artificially quickly. In which case it's longevity I'd've thought would be suspect. ? -- dave @ stejonda |
#15
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Black bamboo - bargain?
dave @ stejonda wrote:
In message , Howard Neil writes dave @ stejonda wrote: In message , Gary Woods writes "dave @ stejonda" wrote: why on earth was I thinking in fathoms??? Full fathom five my bamboo grows... I keep meaning to read more Sylvia Plath so that was an interesting diversion - thank-you - though I doubt bamboo would grow in sea-water. Sylvia Plath? Surely "Full fathom five" is from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (Ariel's Song) http://www.potw.org/archive/potw190.html Excellent! So that's Plath making a reference to the bard. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/1397 Thanks for the link. Very interesting. I wonder what made Plath use that title? There does not seem to be any similarity between that poem and Ariel's Song (other than in the title). It may well have been a form of salutation to the bard, a subliminal influence, or even a totally unconnected reason. -- Howard Neil |
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