A customer shares photos of Angel Mist and Giant Timber Clumping Bamboos

A customer who bought bamboos from us three years ago returned to pick up four more plants this morning.  A few hours later, I received this email from her:


Hi, Sherry,
Many thanks for all your time this morning, walking me round the various specimens and for all your sage advice on which bamboo to choose. 

I'm attaching a few pictures I just snapped for you to show you my existing Giant Timber and Angel Mist bamboos. Not a bare cane in sight!

 Two Giant Timber bamboos - photo taken when they were 2 years old.  When they were first planted, both plants only had 1-3 canes and were just about as tall as the fence.

I have to say that I never thought I'd pay such so much money for such small plants, but what one is actually buying, of course, is the potential and the fun of watching them grow. 

When we first bought the Angel Mist about three years ago, I think it was, the children and I had so much fun walking up to the end of the garden every day to see how many new canes had emerged, what diameter they'd be, and how much they'd grown overnight. The second year I gave up looking - I couldn't keep up!                                

 Angel Mist

When my husband first mentioned wanting bamboos in the garden a few years ago I was rather ambivalent to the idea, but now I'm a devotee! Thank you for your wonderful showcase, which makes it so much easier to understand the differences between the different types available. I want a grove of that Vivax one day and when we do move I just might have to get a Ying-Yang to go with me!

Bamboo and Shoe…

First-time bamboo growers are always excited by the explosive growth of their baby ‘boos.  Many send photos to document the plant’s daily increase in size but customer Gary Davids, a wedding photographer in the Orlando area, came up with one of the most creative ways we’ve seen in a long time to measure the emerging bamboo “shoe-ts”…

“Hi Sherry, As promised here is an updated photo showing the Sea Breeze with many new shoots. The shoot on the left of the shoe is only 7 days old while the one on the right is only 3 days old.”

Our Homegrown Green Bamboo Poles Draw Attention at Convention Show

Bill Overland of Overland Designs recently purchased assorted lengths and diameters of our freshly cut homegrown bamboo poles to use in displays at an Orlando-based convention.  He sent us the following email: 

“Back from the show which was was very successful.  The client loved the bamboo creations and I've attached a picture of one of them for your website.”

Bill’s use of large diameter bamboo poles as a stand-alone decoration has become very popular in home decor.  Freshly cut bamboo stays green for several weeks before fading to a warm rice color.  Even as dried poles, the bamboo adds beauty and originality to any interior, whether residential or commercial.

A Kissimmee resident takes the first step in creating a living hedge

Jason, a customer from Kissimmee, wants to block the view of a two-story house from the home he's renovating in downtown Kissimmee.  He planted his first bamboo yesterday, a 3-gal Seabreeze, with the intention of adding more bamboos to the landscape as the weeks go by.  Below is a photo he sent with his comments:

"hey guys, thank you for all your help yesterday! im excited about my new seabreeze and cant wait to see it take off. here is a pic right after i planted it. thanks again!" 

If, like Jason, you're intention is to create a living hedge but time and budget restraints won't permit you to install all the bamboos at once, you can still plant individual plants without worrying that the hedge will look uneven.  Bamboo planted at different times will catch up to each other.  After three years in the ground, all clumping bamboos will have grown to close to their mature height.  New larger diameter canes will keep emerging each summer but after the third year, those new canes will only be a few inches taller than the previous year's growth. 

Hello Doli! - Before and After photos of Bambusa dolichomerithalla "Silverstripe"

These "Before and After" photos just arrived in my inbox from Orlando-area customer, Andy Roy.  

Hi, Sherry,

I thought I'd share a couple of pics on the 1-year anniversary of our first bamboo planting.  I put these 3 gallon bambusa dolichomerithalla "Silverstripe" in the ground last May.  They put up shoots through November, but didn't manage to fill out with leaves until the last month or so.  Amazing transformation!  If they were just a touch taller, we'd already have all the shade we are looking for.  By next year, it will be mission accomplished for sure. So far, no new shoots this spring. 

Below: May 2009 from the deck

Below: May 2010 from the deck

 

Above: May 2009 from the yard

Below: May 2010 from the yard 

The bamboo Andy planted, Bambusa dolichomerithalla "Silverstripe", is a clumping variety that we have since phased out of production.  Although it forms a lovely stand and is cold hardy, this particular bamboo looks very similar to several of our other cold-hardy clumpers.  In our effort to make the selection process simpler for customers, we chose to discontinue propagating this particular cultivar.  We still have a limited number of 7-gal and 15-gal "Doli's" available at half their regular price.  If you are interested, call or email for more information.  Sherry@beautifulbamboo.com