Phyllostachys aurea (Golden bamboo) is known for its vibrant yellow stems and rapid growth. It’s a clump forming bamboo, which means it spreads out quickly and can become rampant if not contained. It can easily take over if left uncontained. It can grow up to 5 meters tall and quickly dominate gardens if not properly managed.
The golden bamboo in this garden does look beautiful, but our customer and their neighbour were concerned that it had to be controlled before the situation became worse. Using sharp loppers, we cut the stems down at the base, and cut them into pieces to take them away.
It’s a beautiful garden to work in, and is filled with a huge variety of plants. As the weather has become cooler, and the ground damper and easier to work this is a perfect time of year for removal.
Once the canes had been cut back, we started uncovering the roots, using mattocks, spades and an axe. The large, tough rhizomes regenerate new shoots and roots, which are the parts you need to remove. The tiny fibrous roots make the soil feel like concrete, but these will not reproduce new bamboo, so these can be left to decompose.
The shoots of golden bamboo are edible, but it is good to remember that not all varieties of bamboo are. Some are toxic so make sure to check before ingesting. They are best harvested in the springtime when they are young, however, we thought we would take some seeing that they were there, and would see how they compare with springtime shoots.
The bamboo from the main area had started running down the border underneath two small acers. Using mattocks we dug out really long lengths, but found that it had also run a couple of metres into the lawn.
The rhizomes are wondrous skeleton-like looking things, and it is incredibly satisfying when you manage to pull out a long piece. It is of course very difficult to completely irradicate bamboo from a space. If the smallest piece of rhizome is left in the soil it will regenerate, and off it goes again.
The bamboo removal is going well, but it is time consuming. Our customer is understanding at the probability that it will return, however, they are fine with this as it does look fantastic, and they are happy that we can carry on maintaining it as we go forward, to keep it in check. Come back soon to see what else we are up to.
