A bamboo teacup

What can you do with bamboo?  How about making teacups?  Here's a photo sent by one of our customer who not only made a set of teacups out of bamboo poles but used a wood burning tool to etch a design into the wood.

Bamboo leafs out from top to bottom

Gerry, a customer from Islamorada, FL wrote to say:
The hedge bamboo we bought from you is doing great.  There are lots of new shoots coming out of the ground and it's getting tall with a lot of full growth on the upper third of the stem. Is it OK to "top off" the tallest ones in order to encourage new leaves near the bottom, or should we wait for it to fill in on its own?

My response:
I would suggest waiting a little while longer, Gerry.  New bamboo shoot grow tall quickly then take their time leafing out beginning at the top and working their way down to the bottom.  Keep in mind that the above-ground growing season continues until November so you can expect many, many more new shoots to emerge before then.  Your clumps will be full and leafy by the end of the year.  At that point, if there are any canes that are bare at the bottom but leafy at the top, you can top them to encourage new lower leaf growth.  Keep in mind though that once a bamboo cane is topped, that cane will never grow any taller. 

New shoots begin to leaf out from the top and work their way down toward the bottom, a process that takes several months to complete.

Handmade bamboo chuppah becomes part of one family's marriage tradition

Customers who purchased our Designer Quality Bamboo Poles in 2010 to make a wedding arch for their daughter recently wrote to update us on the status of their hand-built chuppah.

Janet writes:  Here is the chuppah that my husband, Peter McDonald, made for our daughter's wedding in February 2010.  On Sunday, May 29th, her sister-in-law used it for her wedding, also in NYC.  This time it had more decorations and it looked absolutely beautiful!  It will next be making an appearance on December 3rd for a friend's wedding in New Jersey!  So thanks again for providing the beautiful bamboo!

Bamboo is strong and sturdy and makes long-lasting beautiful structures

 

A marriage begins beneath a Beautiful Bamboo chuppah!

Before and After - Seabreeze

Jason, a customer from Kissimmee, FL purchased some Seabreeze clumping bamboo in May of 2010.  A year and one month later, his small plant has sent up dozens of lush new shoots that are fuller and taller than the previous year's growth.
  

Seabreeze is one of our most prolific clumping bamboos, sending up more new shoots every year than most other clumpers.  In the above picture (on right), you will notice some of this summer's new shoots sticking up above the others.  Those are "babies" that haven't leafed out yet.  By the time they do leaf out, they will be full and fluffy just like the canes below.  And the above-ground growing season has just begun!  New shoots will continue to emerge from now until November.  Can you imagine how big and full his clump of bamboo will look by then?  I've asked Jason to send us follow up pictures at the end of the growing season and when he does I will add them to the blog.

Bamboo with natural handle makes perfect calligraphy brushes

An artist at the University of Wisconsin needed some small diameter bamboo to use for calligraphy brushes.  

She wrote to say:  I teach art classes at UWLa Crosse in Wisconsin. Next semester I would like to demonstrate the use of handmade brushes and have the graphic design classes make their own brushes to explore calligraphy and hand designed lettering. It might be a good experience for the students to get away from the computer for a while.   

We suggested using the bottom portion of our homegrown Phyllostachy aurea bamboo (Chunky Monkey aka Golden Bamboo or Fishpole Bamboo) because that variety has a natural "handle" created by close, irregularly shaped culm sections.

Chunky Monkey bamboo grows much larger in cold climates than it does in Central Florida's semi-tropical temperatures.  The bamboo pictured here is domestically grown but not homegrown.  The diameter of our homegrown Phyllostachy aurea about half the diameter - the perfect size for a calligraphy brush project.

  

We shipped a box filled with the uniquely shaped poles and received an email back from our customer once the project was completed.

Notice the same uniquely shaped nodes as in the larger, domestically grown bamboo of the same species.

 

Hi Sherry,
I purchased some of your bamboo a while back to make calligraphy brushes. The bamboo is great and I made some wonderful brushes. Here are a few pictures when the bamboo was still green. I wish it would stay that way but it's changing into a beautiful golden color - which I like as well. Thank you for picking out some narly pieces for me. I'll be ready to order more soon.  -Stella

Bamboo is an amazing plant.  It is so versatile, functional and aesthetically pleasing.

A table full of calligraphy brushes

The finished product...so pretty!  Just looking at them makes me wish I could pick one up to just hold in my hand!

Beautiful!