Bamboo!

BambooForest
Originally uploaded by ingroid.

The top plateau of my front yard has been largely ignored for the past couple of years. It's just boring old lawn for the most part, and since I'm up on the hill it's exposed so I don't tend to go out there much.

I've been wanting to use it more for some purpose, so I decided to make it a little more cozy and secluded. The solution? Bamboo!

I went to Clinton Bamboo in Burien, a locally owned and run place that is AMAZING. I highly recommend that you go there just to soak up the scenery. From the front it looks like a regular nursery, but out back there are large stands of bamboo, some of them stretching up 40 or more feet!



The owner (I think he was the owner) was helpful and patient and answered all of my questions. He was passionate about his product, but not at all pushy, very easy and laid-back.

I browsed around after he explained all the different varieties to me. One variety's culms (aka stalks) smell faintly of sandalwood. Some like to bunch, others like to spread.

I finally settled on a couple pots of Phyllostachys bissetii, a rich green bamboo with edible shoots. They are the ones on the left towards the back of this picture:



I also got a couple of horse tail plants. They are voracious weeds if planted in the ground, but they should do nicely in a couple of pots. I love their rich coloring. This variety doesn't get the plume at the top, so they have a nice architectural look to them:



Tomorrow after a hearty breakfast I plan on tilling the soil, and then planting the bamboo with some bamboo barrier to keep it in bounds.