Bamboozled

Another false assumption is that all bamboos are tall. Although we're perhaps most familiar with bamboos that tower over our heads and our houses, bamboos range in height from 18 inches or so to several stories tall.

Many varieties of bamboo are available, including those that run and those that grow in clumps. Some bamboos have wide leaves; others have narrow ones.

The tall running varieties make beautiful living fences or privacy hedges. Space plants roughly five feet apart, and in about three years you'll have a wall of bamboo. Tall clumping bamboos make excellent specimen plants, whether planted in the ground or in pots. Dwarf bamboos, many of which tolerate part to full shade, make attractive groundcovers, and they may be just the ticket in spots where you've had difficulty getting anything else to grow.

The minimum depth for a trench is two feet, and digging it is a task you'll want to complete before you plant. Once a stand of bamboo is established, the rhizomes and roots are extremely tough and difficult to cut. Because bamboo's amazingly thick mass of roots bind the soil so effectively, these plants are terrific for controlling erosion on steep slopes or hillsides.

Bamboos are bothered by relatively few insect pests. In the South aphids may be a problem, and gardeners on the West Coast and in the Pacific Northwest may detect bamboo mites. Both are easy to control with a strong blast of water from the hose or with applications of horticultural oil.

If you take care of your bamboo, you'll be rewarded for years to come. Most plants mature in 60 to 120 years, then flower and die.

Keep in mind that bamboo offers yet another bonus in the form of wood, which grows much faster than that of regular trees. Bamboo lumber may be used to build all kinds of neat structures.