Bamboo on the west coast?

muffinhead

My entire border of plants, that had formed a nice tall screen, were destroyed by the harsh winter so I'm looking at replacing them with some bamboo.

Has anyone got experience of planting bamboo on the west coast? I'm on an exposed coastal site in Mayo so I want something that'll be hardy against the Atlantic winds but will also be fast growing.

My current options are phyllostachys bissetii and pseudosasa japonica. Are there any better alternatives available? I see both of these are runners so I will need a barrier to prevent roots from spreading.

Also, are there any places offering these varieties at a reasonable price as they are quite expensive?

planetX

Hi, i live in the west and love bamboo, and try to grow a lot of it. I say try cos I don't think it's ever very happy in this part of the world, and even those you mention won't look great after a battering by Atlantic winds, it also likes very rich, moist soils. I don't think it's the answer for replacing a belt of shrubs in Mayo unless you have lots of shelter. Best way to find out is to plant just one or two, see how they do, and if they like your conditions it's not hard to dig up and propagate bits of the species you mention. Keeping them well watered and fed is key.

muffinhead

Hi planetX, thanks for the reply!

What type of bamboo are you growning? With the two I mentioned above, I was hoping they might be a bit more resistant to the wind but I might reconsider if they are at risk of being burnt or stripped bare of leaves by the wind.

Zuiderzee

Give me a few days, I know a lad who has black bamboo in his garden that seems to thrive, can try to get some root stock for you but you will have to collect it in Clifden, Leenane or Letterfrack, dont cross the Killary much

planetX

I've got a big healthy grove of Phyllostachys aureosulcata. It's in a sheltered spot and does well, but pieces I've put in windier spots look very ragged. I have pseudosasa japonica, which is always described as a thug to be avoided. It hasn't spread much at all, and I think my garden is too dry for it. I have some Fargesia which do well, but they stay in clumps. My black bamboo is almost dead after this winter. Every variagated type I had is also dead now.:mad:

muffinhead

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Give me a few days, I know a lad who has black bamboo in his garden

Thanks for the generous offer Zuiderzee. I'm not sure how the black bamboo will cope in my garden as it is really windy here and quite a few websites say it's not so great on exposed sites. Would its current location be quite sheltered?

planetX wrote:

I have pseudosasa japonica, which is always described as a thug to be avoided. It hasn't spread much at all

Has it taken off well in terms of height? Ideally I'm looking for something that will get at least 15ft of height and be reasonably dense.

Zuiderzee

muffinhead wrote: »

Would its current location be quite sheltered?

Fairly sheltered, its in a dip rising from east to south west, so it is in the lee of the prevailing wind

Sonnenblumen

Bamboo will struggle (burnt tops at least) in persistent wind or very exposed sites. Phyllostachys Aurea is probably one of the hardier, probably similar to Bissetti. Yellow stems (P.Aureocalis) is less hardy but mor hardy than P.Nigra, a variety I wouldn't recommend. That said it grows well in sheltered parts of Connemara.:)

Bambusa Pseudosassa is tough but bends too easily in wind and can look very unsightly in such conditions.

I know several people in Connemara growing P.Aurea very well, there's a fantastic display, one of the best I've ever seen in Ireland, in the middle of an isolated part of Connemara. I cannot think of the gallery name, begins with S. I'll find out and post details later.