Before and After - Graceful

Ken, a customer from Tampa, emailed to say how pleased he is with the screen provided by the 9 Graceful bamboos he installed in August 2009.  Eager to create a tall, dense screen to hide a noisy A/C unit and provide privacy from neighbors, Ken decided to purchase 7-gal size Gracefuls instead of 3-gal size plants.  Bamboos in larger containers have bigger root systems, which can support more culms as well as larger diameter and taller canes. 

Sherry and Ralph,

It has been almost a year since we installed the Graceful bamboo I purchased from you. I have enclosed pictures showing the transformation in just 1 year! We are very pleased with the outcome.

August 2009

Three 7-gal Gracefuls were planted about 4' apart in front of a noisy A/C unit

The remaining six Gracefuls, also planted about 4' apart, bordered the fence.  Note the narrow planting bed in both pictures.

 One Year Later  

July 31, 2010

Where is that annoying A/C unit???

And the fence...What fence?  It must be behind there somewhere...

One more view of the entire fence line, including the now-hidden A/C unit

Bamboo in large containers

Bamboo is an instant gratification plant and there's nothing that says "tropical paradise" quicker than installing a large container of clumping bamboo in your landscape.  Below are several of our most popular clumping bamboos in 15-, 30- and 50-gallon containers.

Graceful

Our son Timmy is almost 6' tall.  These 15- and 30-gal Graceful Bamboos are between 15' and 18' tall

 Emerald Timber

Emerald Timber - well established roots, quite tall culms

Two closeup views of a 30-gal Emerald

One more shot of Timmy next to 30-gal Emeralds

Oldhamii (Giant Timber)

Very full, tall Oldhamii - also called Giant Timber - in 30- and 50-gal containers

15-gal Oldhamii

 Seabreeze

15-, 30- and 50-gal Seabreeze.  All - Very full.  Very tall.  Very dense. 

15-gal Seabreeze

A very full 30-gal Seabreeze - one of many large container bamboos ready to be create an instant tropical paradise in someone's backyard

A lakeside wedding with bamboo arbor

This morning I received an email from customers who purchased some of our bamboo poles to build a wedding arbor.

Sherry,  We just wanted to say thank you so much for the gorgeous bamboo we purchased from you for our wedding arbor. It turned out beautiful and was perfect for our ceremony. As promised I've attached some photos for you. Thanks again!  
-Jean & Victor Gonzalez

What a perfect structure for a lakeside service...

Wedding arbors or "chuppahs" remain one of the most popular uses for bamboo poles.  Jean and Victor chose a more elaborate design with diagonal cross pieces but even more simply designed arbors add beauty and a natural feel to a beach or lakeside wedding.

Happiness abounds...

And one more view of the wedding arbor against the backdrop of the still water.

Blue Timber Bamboo - A most beautiful clumper

BLUE TIMBER BAMBOO 

Bambusa Chungii
Can grow 30-35 feet with 2" diameter canes. Very Hardy

A powdery coating on both new and mature canes gives Bambusa chungii the alternative name of White Bamboo

Although we call this Blue Timber Bamboo, it is also known as White Bamboo. The name comes from the whitish-blue powder that covers the new canes as they develop. With an upright growth pattern and thin-walled culms, this stunning bamboo contrasts beautifully with the dark green canes of Seabreeze, Oldhamii or the attention-getting bright yellow canes of Sunburst, Asian Lemon or Hawaiian Gold. 

The white powder covering the culms comes off when touched

Use it as a centerpiece plant or create an attractive hedge that will mature quickly into an eye-catching focal point. 

This 4-year-old stand of Blue Timber started out with just one single cane when it was first planted in 2006.  Over the years new shoots appeared on the perimeter but, unlike many other clumping bamboos, Blue Timber shoots come up a bit away from older canes giving the clump a more open, grove-like appearance.

Blue Timber canes are gorgeous! Whenever visitors to our nursery walk through the "tunnel" of Blue Timber bamboo, they are always awed by the plants' exquisite appearance.

Two Blue Timber bamboos form a tunnel.  The bamboos were both planted 10' apart in 2006, each from one single cane.  Today they form a beautiful shady tropical oasis.

A close up look at the tip of a new Blue shoot

A long view shows of the shape of a four-year-old clump of Blue Timber. 

Also available is a shorter clone perfect for smaller gardens called BABY BLUE (Bambusa chungii barbellata) which grows 20 to 25 feet tall with slightly narrower canes and the same striking colors. 

Emerald - A bamboo gem

EMERALD TIMBER BAMBOO    

Bambusa textilis mutabilis/Kanapaha
Can grow 30-40 feet with 2" diameter canes. Very Hardy

Emerald - also called Royal Bamboo or Wong Chuk - is a stately and elegant cold-hardy bamboo

I often refer to Emerald as the "big brother" to Graceful bamboo because they are both members of the Textilis family of bamboos.  

The new shoots come up fairly close to existing canes, which produces a nice tight clump that will not only look attractive but help to provide a dense privacy screen.

Emerald is one of the cleanest, neatest looking specimens we carry.  The tall, straight canes on this timber bamboo have very few side shoots so they rarely need pruning.  The space between culm sections is unusually long, which give the bamboo an especially striking appearance. 

The new canes have a slight bluish tint

Another striking feature is the slight blue tint that appears on new shoots and remains throughout the first year of growth.  After that, the blue changes to an emerald green color, which means at all times the clump has multiple shades of color.

The four clumps of Emerald that I'm standing next to are just 1 year old.  Each one started with a single cane planted 4' apart.  In only one growing season they have formed a tall, full hedge. 

Many people who look at Emerald in our demonstration area say, "This is what bamboo is supposed to look like." 

Planted in 2002, this mature specimen of Bambusa textilis Emerald also started out with just one single cane.  Look at it now!