I’m quite the fan of bamboo. It’s incredible stuff. Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world. One of the more common bamboos (Gigantea) has a tensile strength twice that of steel. Different species are used in construction, ornamental, for medicine, for food, for torture – unbelievably useful. I also love how the wind sounds blowing through it.

I’m trying to do some research into non-running bamboos, a.k.a. sympodial varieties, to provide some shelter. That seems to be the main purpose for growing bamboo in NZ. I’ll be able to use stems as garden stakes, maybe for some building projects and if I get the right variety, to put in my sushi.

Clumping bamboos generally grow slower then the running-type, a.k.a. monopodial varieties. New shoots only develop close to older stems, mainly in autumn, but twice annually in rich soil. They harden over winter and put on leaf growth in spring and summer.

Non-running bamboos (Clumping or sympodial species) available in New Zealand after the jump Read more