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Bambusa vulgaris cv |
Be aware that we Australians are one of the most deprived and uneducated peoples in the world when it comes to bamboo, even though we live in that part of Asia where these beautiful, majestic, exotic clumping species grow. Most Australians are amazed when told we have at least four, and possibly 5 or 6 indigenous species, all in the far north.
Most bamboo species growing here below the Tropic of Capricorn (Rockhampton) until fairly recently were (and still are) invasive monopodial runners that strike fear into the heart of suburban dwellers for good reason, mainly Phyllostachys aurea ("Golden Bamboo") and Phyllostachys nigra ("Black Bamboo"). The lesser known exception is the very large unruly clumper Bambusa balcooa, said to have been brought out in about 1845 as a windbreak and cattle fodder plant, grown in scattered ancient clumps up the east coast of Australia.
We need your help to educate people that there ARE truly beautiful, easily controlled non-invasive plants available to suit every sized garden, graceful species that quickly add a tropical exotic flavour, that grow faster when young than any other garden plant.
Bamboo is the most diversely useful plant in the world. Most species chosen for your garden will also give you every year a valuable healthy vegetable (far richer in essential building blocks than most other vegetables, and very slimming with its low carbohydrate and calorie count) in the form of edible shoots for your kitchen each year, and a supply of strong light wood for any of dozens of uses. Bamboo is a constantly annually renewable source of pleasure, food, and useful timber.
Please forgive us if we wax lyrical about our bamboos. We do this for love, and once bitten by the "Bamboo Bug", you also will understand. The day will come when most gardens will have a beautiful useful clumping bamboo gracing their environment. Architectural features on houses, elegant pagodas and beautiful Japanese style fences all incorporating bamboo will be commonplace, and bamboo shoots will be a regular addition to our diets, BUT look around you as you drive through the suburban gardens of Australia now and you are hard pressed to see a single clumping bamboo!