Bamboo can make an effective privacy screen, but in Canberra it is best grown in pots to avoid it becoming a long-term garden problem, writes gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.
Bamboo grows well in Canberra gardens and, in many cases, too well. In my opinion, it should not be planted in the ground.
There are two main types of bamboo: running bamboo and clumping bamboo. Running bamboo will spread as far and as fast as it can, travelling several metres in a single season. Clumping bamboo gradually becomes larger over time and can eventually require machinery to remove.
All bamboos shed leaves, with their main leaf drop occurring in autumn and spring. This can make them very messy plants in small spaces. If a tall privacy hedge is needed, I recommend growing bamboo only in pots.
The varieties I know grow well in Canberra containers are Himalayan weeping bamboo, with its soft, small leaves, and the golden or black-stemmed bamboos, which add decorative colour to the garden.
Bamboos need regular watering during the hotter months. Clumps should be divided every few years and repotted using normal potting mix.
Early spring is the time to tidy bamboo by cutting dead stems to ground level, allowing light into the crown to encourage more culms. Yellowing leaves are a sign of nutrient deficiency, so a little camellia food in early spring will help stimulate new growth.
All bamboos are shallow-rooted plants, growing to a depth of about 500mm. To eradicate a bamboo problem, all soil must be removed to that depth because any remaining root fragments will reshoot. Do not compost bamboo; place it in the green bin instead.
A fun fact: bamboo is the largest grass plant in the world, belonging to the Poaceae family.
IN winter, when very little is flowering in our region, Erica darleyensis puts on a colourful display. The flowers are pink, white, or a combination of both, and a mass planting creates a wonderful winter show.
It can be used as a low border, growing to about 60cm tall, with fine, evergreen foliage. It is a good habitat plant for birds and wildlife.
Once flowering has finished, it benefits from a light clip. Provide some water through the warmer months and it will remain a long-lived garden plant. It prefers acidic soil and good drainage.
RHUBARB and asparagus crowns should be planted in rich, organically improved soil with their necks above ground level. Prepare the soil several weeks beforehand.
Add a little garden lime to the area where asparagus is to be grown. It grows well alongside peas, beans and brassicas. Rhubarb prefers a lower pH and is suited to planting with other acid-loving crops such as strawberries, thyme and rosemary.
A WINTER spray of copper oxychloride can be applied to stone fruit trees now and then repeated every month or so until the flower buds burst in spring. Copper sprays help prevent peach leaf curl, shot hole and other fungal diseases.
Once fruit trees become affected by these diseases, recovery can take many years and, in some cases, the damage can be permanent.
Fungal diseases are often most damaging before they can be seen, so prevention is far better than cure. Treat trees throughout winter, but do not spray apricots with lime sulphur, as it can cause severe branch dieback and may kill the tree.
Jottings
- Divide herbs such as thyme, oregano and mint.
- Aerate lawn to help with drainage.
- Remove all mummified fruit and leaves and put them in the bin.
- Water indoor plants with tepid water only.
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