Clumping Bamboo Vs. Running Bamboo

Whilst pretty much anyone and everyone appreciates the beauty of bamboo, most people immediately shudder at the thought of a rabid green plant that is out of control and near impossible to eradicate should you ever wish to remove bamboo from your garden! Whilst this may be true for many speices of bamboo, not all speices will run out of control. There are actually 2 types of bamboo, invasive running bamboo and non-invasive clumping bamboo.

We think that our good friends and suppliers at Bamboo Down Under have done a pretty good job explaining the difference between the two, so we will let them take the floor from here:

Running Bamboo

"Running bamboo spreads from an underground rhizome which travel in unpredictable directions and up to as much as 6 metres in length underground per rhizome. Shoots will grow through the surface at varying intervals along the length of that rhizome to form the culms. Running bamboo then send off further rhizomes from each current rhizome, again spreading up to 6 mtrs in any direction beyond the original plant - producing the running bamboo grove. Think of this like an underground web of rhizomes that don't have a spacial limit. On acreage, running bamboo can be a beautiful and extremely useful plant, but when planted in the wrong application, like modern day suburbia, running bamboo can become invasive and problematic when not contained in a pot".

Clumping Bamboo

"Clumping bamboo however, produce short, individual rhizomes that grow out of the soil as shoots and then grow into individual culms (bamboo poles), forming a 'clump' of culms. The growing tip of the bamboo shoots is very shallow and near the surface, and can physically only produce one culm per rhizome. Clumping bamboo cannot physically run and will 'stay put' in the clump where you plant the original bamboo - very similar to how a Golden Cane Palm looks. However, clumping bamboo species vary in size and can naturally form a clump of half a metre round diameter or in some larger species, up to 4m round diameter - making it essential you get advice in choosing the correct bamboo for your needs. A great analogy for this is purchasing a Chihuahua dog or a Great Dane dog, they both have a certain 'size' they will stop growing at but this differs greatly - making it essential you chose the correct sized dog for the space you have! "

This is great news!

So this is great news and means that we can all enjoy the beauty that only bamboo can bring, without the nasty invasive nature that it is most reputable for. Clumping bamboo make for great privacy screens and noise barriers and also make a beautiful feature in a pot, or that special place in the back yard.

The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia have the largest and most diverse range of clumping bamboo in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Hunter Valley and Central Coast region. With over 20 spieces of clumping bamboo to choose from and the specialist bamboo knowledge to match, you can be sure that your bamboo needs will be looked after at The Bamboo Place in Newcastle NSW Australia.

Blog article written with reference to the following great article from our suppliers Bamboo Down Under:
http://www.bamboodownunder.com.au/about-our-bamboo/

Are you looking for a bamboo other than what you see here? Please see our helpful list of available bamboo below, including available bamboo for privacy screening, bamboo that is best in pots, ornamental bamboo and black bamboo: 

Other Bamboo available at The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia: 

  • Gracilis

  • Tiger Stripe

  • China Gold

  • Tiger Grass

  • Chinese Dwarf

  • Black Nigra

  • Alphonse Karr

  • Golden Goddess

  • Boniopsis

  • Gold Stripe

  • Malay Dwarf Variegated

  • Black Nigra

  • Lipstick

  • Malay Dwarf Green

  • Barbaletta Blue

  • Budha Belly

  • Chungii Blue

  • Fusca

  • Timor Black

  • Java Black

  • Old Hamii

  • Compacta

  • Khasia

  • Nepalese blue

Bamboo for Privacy Screening available at The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia:

  • Alphonse Karr

  • Barbaletta Blue

  • Boniopsis

  • China Gold

  • Chinese Dwarf

  • Fusca

  • Gold Stripe

  • Gracilis

  • Malay Dwarf Variegated

  • Old Hamii

  • Tiger Grass

  • Tiger Stripe

Bamboo for Pots available at The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia:

  • Alphonse Karr

  • Boniopsis

  • China Gold

  • Compacta

  • Gold Stripe

  • Gracilis

  • Khasia

  • Malay Dwarf Variegated

  • Nepalese Blue

  • Black Nigra

  • Tiger Grass

Ornamental Bamboo available at The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia:

  • Barbaletta Blue

  • China Gold

  • Chungi

  • Ghost

  • Giant Buddha Belly

  • Java Black

  • Latiflorus

  • Timor Black

Black Bamboo available at The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia:

  • Java Black

  • Black Nigra

  • Timor Black

The Bamboo Place located in Newcastle NSW Australia have the bamboo knowledge, products and expertise to ensure your bamboo garden is vibrant, healthy and successful. If you are looking for bamboo in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Hunter Valley and Central Coast region, come in and see us at 17A Violet Town Road, Tingira Heights NSW Australia, call us on (02) 4948 9157 or drop us an email at info@thebambooplace.com.au, our happy staff will be delighted to help you.