Cheers Busy, I'll try that instead, probably in the next few minutes.
Bit of an update, after all that I ended up going to a Homebase and spotted some gorgeous Golden Bamboo plants, 4 of which are now proudly sitting in my garden creating the instant privacy screen. Best spontaneous buy I've made in a while
So I've got a new question about the honeysuckle that I bought earlier. I'd possibly like to plant this near my apple tree so that it climbs the tree and creates a privacy screen around the tree for the winter months when there are no leaves. Would this cause any issues with the tree? I could plant it a few feet away at the edge of the grass near the hedge and then guide it towards the tree. Would perhaps use some large stones to mark the area where it's planted so that when I mow the lawn I don't accidentally chop it! Main concern is that it might interfere with the growth of the apple tree?
Are you keeping your bamboo in pots? Think I would
Climbers up good productive fruit trees are not a good idea - fruit trees need plenty of air flow through the branches to avoid contracting various bugs and bacteria/fungal conditions.
However, if the tree is past it's way and not wanted for it's fruit it can be an attractive way of helping it see out it's final years and provide good habitat for birds and insects.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Good morning Dove and thank you! I'll scratch that idea then because the tree produces beautiful fruit which I definitely don't want to interfere with. Do you know of any tree decoration that would provide a sort of screen? It only needs to cover a fairly small area to be fair.
About the bamboo, they are in pots but not very large. One person at Homebase advised that I might replant in larger pots but another person said they were ok in the provided pots. Actually, at the centre there were a few plants in the same small pots that were 3 metres high, which would be too high for me, but it made me think that they could still grow ok in the small pots if they could get that high?
Bamboos will need quite big pots, they grow big roots. They will need regular watering. Some bamboos, when planted in the ground get very invasive and try to take over the garden! Different sorts of bamboo grow to different heights.
Could the honeysuckle grow up the wall of your house? You could attach wires to support it. Don't plant too close to the foot of a wall, the earth will be too dry.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Thanks for the info Lizzie, I was just wondering what would happen to the bamboo if I kept it in the current pot and just regularly pruned it to a certain height, would it eventually die because the roots would grow too big? Don't think I'm going to plant it in the garden although I wouldn't actually mind a few more around, they are such wonderful plants, I love the look of them and the way they sway in the breeze
The funny thing is they kept falling over with the winds so I had to weigh them down with some bricks tied around the pots!
have you placed crushed brick into the base or either gravel that will stop the pot from blowing over plus bamboo needs drainage as all plants that are in pots ... ive got mine on wheels so I can move them around
Annmarie, they came in pots when I bought them and were full to the brim so haven't put them into bigger pots yet but when I do I'll weigh them down first as suggested. Thanks for the tip.
Dove, I just read through that thread, thanks for the link. Got a bit worried when you said they can't be pruned so I did a bit of research and first came up with this page about pruning bamboo. Not sure how accurate it is? I wouldn't want them to grow too much higher but this page suggests that they can be pruned if you cut above the nodes in specific places:
Of course you can thin them as described, to prevent them becoming congested.
And yes, of course you can shorten them if you don't mind how they look - as I said they'll look like a pot of sticks .............. or bamboo canes, which is what they are of course.
However, if you want a beautiful plant the best thing to do is to buy a variety of bamboo that will grow to approximately the height you require, so that they don't have to have their heads chopped off.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
Cheers Busy, I'll try that instead, probably in the next few minutes.
Bit of an update, after all that I ended up going to a Homebase and spotted some gorgeous Golden Bamboo plants, 4 of which are now proudly sitting in my garden creating the instant privacy screen. Best spontaneous buy I've made in a while
So I've got a new question about the honeysuckle that I bought earlier. I'd possibly like to plant this near my apple tree so that it climbs the tree and creates a privacy screen around the tree for the winter months when there are no leaves. Would this cause any issues with the tree? I could plant it a few feet away at the edge of the grass near the hedge and then guide it towards the tree. Would perhaps use some large stones to mark the area where it's planted so that when I mow the lawn I don't accidentally chop it! Main concern is that it might interfere with the growth of the apple tree?
Good morning
Are you keeping your bamboo in pots? Think I would
Climbers up good productive fruit trees are not a good idea - fruit trees need plenty of air flow through the branches to avoid contracting various bugs and bacteria/fungal conditions.
However, if the tree is past it's way and not wanted for it's fruit it can be an attractive way of helping it see out it's final years and provide good habitat for birds and insects.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Good morning Dove and thank you! I'll scratch that idea then because the tree produces beautiful fruit which I definitely don't want to interfere with. Do you know of any tree decoration that would provide a sort of screen? It only needs to cover a fairly small area to be fair.
About the bamboo, they are in pots but not very large. One person at Homebase advised that I might replant in larger pots but another person said they were ok in the provided pots. Actually, at the centre there were a few plants in the same small pots that were 3 metres high, which would be too high for me, but it made me think that they could still grow ok in the small pots if they could get that high?
Bamboos will need quite big pots, they grow big roots. They will need regular watering. Some bamboos, when planted in the ground get very invasive and try to take over the garden! Different sorts of bamboo grow to different heights.
Could the honeysuckle grow up the wall of your house? You could attach wires to support it. Don't plant too close to the foot of a wall, the earth will be too dry.
Thanks for the info Lizzie, I was just wondering what would happen to the bamboo if I kept it in the current pot and just regularly pruned it to a certain height, would it eventually die because the roots would grow too big? Don't think I'm going to plant it in the garden although I wouldn't actually mind a few more around, they are such wonderful plants, I love the look of them and the way they sway in the breeze
The funny thing is they kept falling over with the winds so I had to weigh them down with some bricks tied around the pots!
You can't prune bamboo to restrict it's height - it's a grass - you'll just end up with a pot of sticks
They need big heavy pots with heavy loam-based compost.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gorguruga - you may find this thread of interest http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/golden-bamboo/252395.html
Interesting forum name!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Annmarie, they came in pots when I bought them and were full to the brim so haven't put them into bigger pots yet but when I do I'll weigh them down first as suggested. Thanks for the tip.
Dove, I just read through that thread, thanks for the link. Got a bit worried when you said they can't be pruned so I did a bit of research and first came up with this page about pruning bamboo. Not sure how accurate it is? I wouldn't want them to grow too much higher but this page suggests that they can be pruned if you cut above the nodes in specific places:
http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/bamboo-care/pruning-thinning-bamboo.html
Of course you can thin them as described, to prevent them becoming congested.
And yes, of course you can shorten them if you don't mind how they look - as I said they'll look like a pot of sticks .............. or bamboo canes, which is what they are of course.
However, if you want a beautiful plant the best thing to do is to buy a variety of bamboo that will grow to approximately the height you require, so that they don't have to have their heads chopped off.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.