Look how big bamboo can get in one summer!

A customer who bought two different types of clumping bamboo in May wrote to say how well their bamboo is growing:

Aloha Sherry and Ralph - Six months ago I bought a 30 gallon Textilis Mutabilis from your amazing collection. This Emerald has generated 26 new canes already. I enriched the planting bed with 30 bags of Black Kow, peat and organic soils mixed together,fertilized, plus watered faithfully every morning before work.

The two little sisters are Textilis Gracilis (Graceful); these two were only 3 gallon specimens and have produced 17 new canes each in the five month interval since they were planted!

My neighbors are thrilled with the unique tropical beauty of these upright, tight clumpers in our typically small suburban lawns. I'm looking forward to the privacy screen, shade and windblock/ noise barrier this living fence will create.

Thanks for your informative web site and blog. Kind regards, Freddy

After planting in May - One Emerald on the left with two Gracefuls to the right

6 Months Later - the same Emerald with the 2 Gracefuls to the right

The same 6-month-old plants as seen from the opposite side

 

Shipping live plants

This morning Timmy packed up 6 Golden Goddess bamboos to send to a customer in SC.  

The plants are all in 3-gal size containers.  Before shipping, we enclose the bamboo, which was recently watered, in a plastic bag to maintain moisture during the travel time. 

Two 3-gal size plants will fit in each 48" x 12" x 12" box. 

The plants are wedged into place with lengths of bamboo poles to prevent them from moving around during shipping.

Lots of crumpled up newspaper - a good way to recycle! - prevents shifting as well.

Included in the box are planting instructions. 

Once they are sealed, the boxes are labeled and fragile stickers are added.  Then it is off to the FedEx store to send them on their way.

Bamboo Question: Sun or shade?

Customers often ask if bamboo needs a sunny location or can it grow in shady conditions.  We explain that it doesn't make that much difference if the location is sunny or shady.  What is important are the soil and water conditions.  Bamboos grow best in rich, well-irrigated soil, regardless of whether the location gets a lot of sun or very little. 

Below are a couple pictures of some Bambusa textilis growing very nicely in the shade of some tall pine trees.

The pine tree sends shade down while the bamboo grows up...

...right through the pine tree branches!

GOLDEN GODDESS BAMBOO Bambusa multiplex golden goddess

Here are some pictures of Golden Goddess in 15-gal and 30-gal containers. 

A close-up of the canes to see how full both the 15- and 30-gal containers are

I'm standing on tip toes reaching up toward the top of the plants - 15-gal to the left, 30-gal to the right

30-gal Golden Goddess

A 30-gal is about twice as tall as Timmy, who is 5' 10"

Timmy with a 15-gal plant

Large Poles - Small Car

A customer who arrived in a mustang convertible purchased several large diameter bamboo poles last week.  But how was he going to take the 5" x 10' imported poles home in such a small car?  Not a problem!

He rolled the top down and we placed the poles in the car

With the canes pressed close to the floorboards and the tips extending out the back

Scott is ready to take the hour-an-a-half drive home and start working on his beautiful bamboo project!

Two new pictures of wedding arbors sent by customers

In the past couple days, I receive pictures from two customers who built wedding arbors with Beautiful Bamboo.  Here's the first letter and accompanying photo:

My husband and I bought a few pieces of bamboo from you for our son's wedding at the beach, attached is a picture, it turned out really nice. Thank your husband for helping us select such beautiful pieces.

 

And the second letter/picture:

This is the Arbor we built with the bamboo we bought from your grove last year. I don't know if you remember us we are the ones that showed up on the day it actually snowed in Florida lol we had a great time and this turned out to be perfect. Thank you.

How do you transport tall bamboo plants?

Although we offer delivery services as well as installation, many of our customers opt to take their bamboo home themselves.  In those cases, we put a lot of care into properly wrapping the leaves and securing the plants so they arrive home in good condition.   If you want to transport bamboos in your own vehicle, remember to bring along plenty of wrapping material.  Tarps, old sheets and even blankets will work.  It's also important to have on hand rope, bungee cords, straps or twine to secure that we can use to secure the wrapping material.

This extra-tall 15-gal plant extended far beyond the trailer of a customer from Dade City.  Note how the leaves have been wrapped in a tarp and secured with twine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't need a trailer to transport tall bamboos...

The back of an SUV or even a car will do

Even if it means the bamboo will sometimes have to extend out a window and around the front hood...

Tightly wrapped in sheets the bamboo is ready for the ride to its new home.

Asian Lemon - Bambusa eutuldoides viridi-vittata

If you are seeking a stunning specimen plant that has an upright form and eye-catching coloration, Asian Lemon is an excellent pick. The bright yellow canes are accented by bold green stripes. It's relatively short height enables it to be planted under electric lines yet still be tall enough to block a two-story house. The contrast of Asian Lemon's dark green leaves with the plant's colorful canes makes this a valuable and highly desirable addition to the landscape.

These 30-gal plants are approximately 16' tall with multiple canes including new shoots from the 2010 growing season that have yet to reach their full height.

 
Close-up views of the canes show how full the pots are with culms ranging from 1/2" to over an inch in diameter.