Bamboozled no more!

I have bamboo problem. But not in the way you might think.

Most bamboo problems stem from their vigorous roots running amok: undermining sidewalks, ruining foundations, toppling civilizations. I don't know what variety my bamboo is, but lucky for me, they are clumpers not runners. They are, however, planted close to the house so when the culms grow up to their full height of 15 feet or so, they hit the eaves and bend in zig-zaggy angles to grow up around the roof. When it's windy, they whack the gutters and scrape the side of the house. I continually pull young culms away the eaves to keep them from growing into the roof.

I considered moving them -- there's only three clumps, and I've moved plenty of plants in my day. But then I split a clump to give a division to a friend and discovered what a chore it would be to dig them up. My enthusiam waned, but I was encouraged by the offer of help from friends I continued to hold out hope of moving them to another location in the garden.

That is, until last night as I was re-reading Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way, by Jake Hobson. (I'll go into detail about the book in another post.) I had read and re-read the chapters on pruning pines, camelias and azaleas, but somehow missed the chapter on bamboo. Glory be and halleluja! Bamboo can be pruned! Once the culms reach their full height, they stop growing and can be pruned to whatever height the gardener desires. Not only that, the leaves get bushier and denser with pruning. I think I can keep my little bamboo forest where it is, save our backs for other projects and keep the culms from scraping up the house.

Book review, photos and progress reports to follow.