Being bamboozled
Bamboos can add a new dimension to a garden
I SUSPECT that bamboos are loathed by more gardeners than they are loved. They have a reputation for being garden ‘thugs’, spreading and encroaching on anything in their path. And they don’t, of course, produce brightly coloured blooms, or fill gardens with fragrance.
However, this doesn’t mean they lack interest. Many can make valuable screens and ‘hedges’. And many are not invasive at all, producing beautiful stems and leaves that move gracefully in the slightest of breezes, creating gentle rustling sounds that add a whole new dimension to the garden. Let’s take a closer look.
Culm is the word used for any grass stem – in the case of bamboo, it becomes long, hard, woody and usually hollow: in other words, the cane.