Planting bamboo in your garden

Planting a few bamboo plants

In theory, bamboo can be planted all year round. However, to encourage plants to take 
root and pass a successful winter, we recommend that you plant between March and 
September. 

However, beware, because while bamboo stalks are beautiful, their real stalks are 
actually underground and if you don't dig out boundaries, your bamboo will venture all 
over the garden. This rootstock, which is as hard as wood and as flexible as reed, bends 
but does not break and grows very easily. Roots develop around the root-knot and can 
result in rapid invasion. 

There are two types of bamboo: Bamboo cespitose, or 'clumping bamboo' which grows 
in tight tufts and 'running bamboo' whose creepers can travel several metres 
underground, before a new stem or stalk appears aboveground. 

Limit the Asian invasion in your garden

Bamboo is as strong as houses. It can lift up a pavement, push walls, cause damage such 
as cracks to patios or even spoil the neighbours' nice wall. 
To avoid such chaos, it is advisable to create a physical barrier which will halt the roots 
of the invader in their tracks. 
Unfortunately, encircling the planting area with a simple plastic film wont suffice, since 
the roots are pointed and will be able to pierce it. 

You can delimit the authorised area by digging a trench of approximately 30cm deep. 
You will then need to keep watch and chop any rootstock that you see attempting to 
cross with some secateurs. 

Consider burying a root barrier instead or in addition to a trench

There are two options of materials for root barriers: 
- Solution No 1: Non-woven felt with a PVC coating. This is the most common solution 
and the easiest to implement. 
- Solution No 2 (less common): A 2mm-thick high-density Polyethylene barrier. This acts 
exactly like the root-barrier, but is much more resistant in very tough soils, such as 
those with pebbles, stones, large roots, etc.