Looking for plants to give your garden or patio a trendy, oriental feel? Then go for bamboos! They are fascinating plants which, despite their exotic origin, you can successfully grow in your garden. They are perfect as a backdrop for other plants, as a viewing screen. Bamboos will also protect your garden from the prying eyes of your neighbours. Check out the most interesting varieties of bamboos. Among them you will also find frost-resistant specimens.

Where do bamboo trees grow?

Garden bamboos are exotic and extremely decorative plants that are becoming increasingly popular. No wonder! These plants, which originate from the tropical and subtropical parts of Asia, fit perfectly into both modern and minimalist gardens and those arranged in an oriental style. They are also very often chosen as plants for hotels and spas and plants for cities. Garden bamboos are also an ideal choice for those who like grasses and miscanthus.

Bamboo - varieties

Many varieties and species of bamboo are known, which differ in the maximum height they can reach, their appearance, their cultivation requirements and their degree of frost hardiness. In general, bamboos can be divided into two groups. Depending on the expansiveness of the roots, a distinction is made between:

✔️ Phyllostachys - with expansive roots. They grow taller, have thicker stems and a root barrier is recommended for them, so that the bamboo will only grow in the place you have planned for it.

✔️ Fargesias - clumping bamboos with non-aggressive roots. They grow luxuriantly, have an exuberance of leaves and slightly thinner stems than Phyllostachys. They do not need any barrier.

What makes bamboos special are the stems, which can come in different colours, e.g. green (Phyllostachys bissetii), red (Fargesia jiuzhaigou), yellow (Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis'), black (Phyllostachys nigra). Interesting varieties also include the striped bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis') and the so-called speckled tiger bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra 'Boryana'), which can colour when exposed to the sun.

How quickly do bamboos grow?

Bamboos are considered to be the fastest growing plants. In a day, under favourable conditions, they can grow by up to 120 cm! Annually they gain 25% to 50% of the previous season's height. Green bamboo can reach 6 m in height. Tree bamboo can reach up to 50 m in height under natural conditions. When deciding to grow bamboos because of their rapid growth, it is worth knowing that bamboo shoots will only start to grow faster in their third year of development. When planted in the garden, the plant needs some time to adapt to the prevailing climate. The growth rate of bamboos depends on the ambient temperature - the plants grow faster at higher temperatures.

How to care for bamboos?

As a subfamily of grasses, bamboos do not have exorbitant cultivation and care requirements. They grow quickly and blend in perfectly with other vegetation in the garden, on the balcony or terrace. What's more, many bamboos are hardy species and can therefore be successfully grown in our climatic conditions. It is best to plant them in spring, then they will have more time to root and prepare for winter. Depending on the species, garden bamboo should be planted in a sheltered, sunny or slightly shaded position. Some bamboos, such as Fargesia 'Black Pearl' will also do well in the shade. Bamboos are plants that grow best in a fertile and permeable substrate with a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Proper care of bamboos requires regular watering - the roots must not be allowed to dry out. At the same time, it is important to know that bamboos on terraces and balconies, grown in pots, require more attention in this regard than woody bamboos planted in the ground. The growing season for bamboos lasts from March to July. During this time it is worth feeding them with a suitable fertiliser. In the cultivation of bamboos it is worth remembering to protect the plant for the winter, even hardy bamboos for the first seasons should, for example, be wrapped in agrofiber, and bamboos in pots should be brought to a cool room.

Bamboos - use in the garden, on the terrace or balcony

When choosing a variety of bamboos, it is useful to be guided by their requirements. One thing is certain, they are multifunctional plants. With them we can surround our garden with a beautiful and strong hedge, providing privacy and shelter from traffic and curious neighbours. For this purpose, woody bamboos are ideal. Clumping bamboos, on the other hand, are distinguished by their abundant foliage and are therefore popular over ponds and are also ideal as a background for other plants. They can also be grown in pots as a unique decoration for terraces and balconies. Bamboo in the garden looks great in group plantings. It can also be used as a bonsai tree, as the plants can be shaped by cutting their stems. Bamboos can also be an excellent egotistical accent in restaurants, if you are faced with the choice of plants for a restaurant we recommend looking at Bamboos.