Why has bamboo become so popular in our gardens

A.� The first bamboos came back to this country with the planthunters and merchants who opened up the Far East, particularly Japan and China.

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The early introduction commonly made their way on to the large country estates where they had the room to become large clumps or groves.

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For years bamboo had a reputation for being a big plant that needed large amounts of space, but scores of new varieties introduced over the past decade or so mean there are now bamboos for just about every type of garden or backyard.

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A.� Some, but by no means all. Without getting too technical there are basically two groups, the clump formers, which are stay compact and spread out slowly, and the vigorous forms whose underground branches (rhizomes) will run and spread quickly. There are also some that sit somewhere in the middle.

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When we think of invasive bamboos we thinking of those large clumps in big gardens but actually the most vigorous are often the dwarf, ground cover bamboos, usually from the Pleioblastus or Sasa families, that have a very active rhizome system.

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If you are buying a bamboo ask what sort of spread you can expect and if in doubt go to a specialist grower.

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A.� There are a number of ways of dictating how far a bamboo spreads.

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Bamboos are members of the grass family (Gramineae) and are shallow growing, their roots and rhizomes barely venturing below the first foot and a half of soil. This makes them quite easy to restrict by sinking a barrier around them made of tough plastic, paving slabs or old pieces of slate.

A.� Each cane (culm) has a finite life of about four to five years after which it becomes redundant to the plant. You'll be able to tell as it will start to lose its foliage and become discoloured. Every couple of years it is worth going through the clump removing old canes and any weak straggly growth.

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Like most plants bamboos enjoy light and air circulating through them. You can take out more if you want to keep it to a particular shape. Cut down at ground level.

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A.� Bamboo is a very versatile plant. Because they are constantly moving in the breeze they of ten used as informal hedging or screening, providing a permeable rather than solid barrier, a bit like a lace curtain rather than a drape.

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The large varieties, often with coloured stems, can be planted as specimens or in large containers, the medium sized ones are good in small gardens and the ground-cover varieties will cover a large area very quickly.

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A.� The genus you'll most commonly find on offer are Phyllostachys (generally tall, 12-30ft, often with different coloured canes), Fargesia (slightly smaller 10-12ft, tightly clump forming and often with very small fine foliage), Semiarundinaria (tall, 15-20ft, very upright, slightly larger leaves) and the dwarf varieties Pleioblastus Small leaved, spreading) and Sasa (large leaved and spreading).

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A.� The bamboos on sale in this country are all evergreen and frost hardy to at least -9oC, so hardiness is rarely an issue.

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As said before they are tough creatures and will do well in any half decent garden soil and are virtually pest free. Some need a warm sunny spot to thrive, particularly those with colourful canes.

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You can feed them as much as you like in spring and autumn (a high nitrogen feed is best, something like Miracle-Gro is perfectly suitable). They also enjoy a mulch with organic matter in early spring.

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