Bamboo are fast growing woody stemmed grasses that originate from East and South East Asia and a from few regions of South America.
There are over 1,000 different species of bamboo so you should be able to find one or two, or more, that will fit in to your garden planning.
Many gardeners are reluctant to grow bamboo because of their unwarranted belief that they will grow rampant and take over their garden, next doors garden and probably the whole neighbourhood.
Well yes some bamboo garden plants are extremely invasive but they can be easily controlled.
Bamboo fall in to two types, running, where rhizomes are sent out in all directions sending up new shoots. These are the invasive type.
Then there are the clump forming bamboo which grow upon themselves and are contained and civilized.
So you should not be put off from growing some of these most beautiful and majestic gardening plants.
Bamboo grow from 30cm (12inches) to 30 metres (100feet) depending on the species.
Some species will grow 60cm (24inches) a day.
With these growing rates its no wonder you are afraid to grow them.
Now lets get real. Even the most invasive bamboo can easily be contained preventing them from spreading where you don't want them.
The easiest and most reliable way is to dig a trench all around the area you want to grow them and install a bamboo barrier. This will stop the rhizomes spreading and sending up new shoots.
If you don't want to go to the effort of digging a trench and installing a barrier just snap off any rhizomes that appear outside the growing area. This will stop the rhizomes producing shoots and spreading. But you only need do this with the invasive running bamboo. You don't need to do it with non-invasive clumping forming species, and there are hundreds of these to choose from.
Ok so you have decided where you want to grow your bamboo garden plants and which type you want to grow.
How do you plant them?
If you are going to install a bamboo barrier before planting, if this is your control method, then now is the time to do it.
And before you go ahead and plant them dig in plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost and some medium grade horticultural grit. This will boost up the soil and make it moisture retentive but free draining.
This will give your bamboo garden plants a real boost to start them off and will see them through their first growing season.
Dig a hole and plant them at the depth they where in their pots and give them a good water. Mulch with bark or similar suitable material to a depth of 5cm (2inch).
After planting water them in well. It is real important that your bamboo garden plants never dry out or they will not survive.
That's it, job done.
In the following years just keep them well watered, give them a feed of a well balanced granular fertilizer every spring, keep them covered with a 5cm (2inch) mulch all year round, remove any old and weak canes in spring and you will have your own beautiful bamboo grove.
If you don't want to grow bamboo in your garden or you don't have room you can grow them in containers quite easily, although they will not grow as big or as good as those growing in open ground.
Nevertheless they will do all right if you give them a bit of care and attention.
Make sure the container is big enough, remember bamboo will grow, even the clump forming ones, so allow room in your container for new growth.
The container needs to be well draining, put stones or pebbles over the drainage holes to stop the compost blocking them up.
Stand the container on feet to raise it off the ground, this will ensure water drains away easily.
If the container becomes waterlogged your bamboo will rot and not survive.
Use a John Innes No. 3 compost mixed with medium horticultural grit, never use garden soil in containers.
After planting add a 5cm (2inch) layer of grit as a mulch and water them well.
For the next two weeks keep them in the shade and out of cold winds, mist the leaves and stems every day and keep the compost just moist.
After that position your bamboo in a sunny spot but avoid strong midday sun and keep the compost just moist.
You can buy bamboo from specialised growers and suppliers, garden centers or online. So you will have no trouble finding bamboo garden plants to grow in your garden!