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Gardening for Amateurs 



Hardy Bamboos 



BAMBOOS find many friends amongst 

 garden lovers, for their light and 

 graceful character and their vigorous 

 growth add a touch of tropical luxuriance 

 to the garden. But of late years they 

 have caused some uneasiness owing to 

 many kinds flowering profusely and then 

 dying, for it is argued that the same 

 fate may soon befall all the hardy sorts. 

 Such a catastrophe might very well arise, 

 but it would not be without compensating 

 advantages, for it would mean that in the 

 case of each species a new start must be 

 made with seedling plants instead of stock 

 being obtained by the division of old clumps, 

 and once seedlings were obtained there would 

 be no fear of their flowering for at least thirty 

 years. With this in view it behoves anyone 

 who has Bamboos in flower to keep a strict 

 look-out for seeds. These, sown as soon as 

 ripe, in light sandy soil, in a warm and moist 

 greenhouse, germinate in a short time, and 

 little difficulty is experienced in rearing the 

 plants. 



Bamboos are not very exacting regarding 

 soil, for they thrive in almost any kind that 

 is moist without being water- logged. It is 

 but natural that the best specimens occur 

 in rich ground, therefore when the natural 

 soil is poor it should be enriched with well- 

 decayed manure and leaf-mould previous to 

 planting. Transplanting should be per- 

 formed during May, a good guide to the 

 proper time being the condition of the young 

 growths. When these are about 2 inches 

 long the best time for the work has arrived. 

 New positions should be prepared before- 

 hand, so that no time is lost between lifting 

 and replanting. As soon as the work is 

 accomplished the plants should be well 

 watered, and in the event of a period of dry 

 weather being experienced several subse- 

 quent waterings will be necessary. At this 

 period the ground may be top-dressed with 

 well-decayed manure and leaves, taking care 

 that the manure does not come in direct 

 contact with the roots. Leaf-mould, how- 

 ever, may be placed about the roots with 

 advantage. 



Pruning must be made an annual opera- 

 tion, the best time for the work being 

 April. On no account must the branches 

 be shortened ; any which are not required 

 must be removed quite close to the root- 

 stock. As a rule, pruning consists of the 

 removal of the older branches, or any which 

 look as if they will become poor and thin 

 before the end of summer. The object of 

 cutting them out to the rootstock is that 

 the young shoots shall have as much room as 

 possible, and that the plants shall have a 

 pleasing appearance. 



The selection of positions for Bamboos 

 needs more than a passing thought, for al- 

 though from July to February Bamboos are 

 not surpassed in beauty by any other ever- 

 green, they are not attractive during the 

 remainder of the year. The first cold winds 

 of March cause many of the leaves to turn 

 brown ; shortly afterwards they begin to 

 fall, and from that time until the end of 

 May the same condition prevails, and it is not 

 until the new leaves have unfolded that the 

 plants are again presentable. Thus Bam- 

 boos ought to be confined to one particular 

 part of the garden ; if they were planted in- 

 discriminately with other shrubs, their rusty 

 leaves at a time when many other kinds were 

 at their best would create an unfavourable 

 impression and possibly end in their expulsion 

 from the garden. 



The vicinity of a Jake or stream constitutes 

 an ideal position for Bamboos, especially 

 where a fair amount of shelter is afforded, 

 for Bamboos are peculiarl}' appropriate for 

 waterside planting, and in such a position it 

 is easy to keep them supplied with water 

 during a period of drought 



The Chief Kinds. Altogether there are 

 between thirty and forty hardy kinds of 

 Bamboos, which are contained in three dis- 

 tinct families : Arundinaria, Plwllostachys, 

 and Bambusa. In the following notes no 

 attempt is made to deal with every hardy 

 kind, but a selection of the best only is 

 given. 



Arundinaria. The Arundinarias are re- 

 cognised by the side branches being arranged 



