If your bamboo has flowered and looks dead then welcome to this mystical world, the curse of the flowering bamboo.
This mainly affects the Phyllostachys species, when one flowers, they all flower. Next door, up the road, the next town, across London. Mass hysteria normally follows as to what on earth has happened to all this bamboo, a disease, an visit from outer space, a bamboo hating gorilla team!
And the reasons why? even when studying for one of my horticulture courses years ago our lecturer insisted, in the style of QI "nobody knows" why it happens. Well as a level headed person it can only be down to the weather that year or the previous year. There is'nt some sort of genetic code imprinted in the living tissue of a bamboo or some scent carried by the wind to tell all bamboos to die in the same season, it stands to reason it has to do with the weather pattern.
When you look at bamboo you think tough plant, loves the sun, drought tolerant, plant it anywhere. I can't blame people for thinking that either, bamboo just has that look of being a tough plant! Quite the opposite really especially with Phyllostachys, they need the right soil, just the right amount of light each day, some sun, preferably not mid-day, and plenty of water, not a weekly soak but in the heat of summer, everyday.
So what of my flowering bamboo, is it dead?
No, I do not beleive it is. Sometime ago I cut a Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) back to the ground and never got round to digging up the root ball, a year later it had fully recovered and was sending up plenty of new canes. I have one in a pot now in my own back garden that flowered last year and with the mild spell in November it started to showsome promising interesting leaf growth, small leaves, not many but it's not dead!
My advice is if it is a small garden and the bamboo serves as a focal point plant then of course dig it up and replace it but in a larger garden give it a chance and some tlc, after all Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) is the most expensive of bamboos.
Whilst at the timber merchants yesterday I was introduced to a new type timber, or rather an old type of timber but a new way of treating it, Kebony decking....
In a nutshell Kebony decking it is a softwood treated with liquid from bio-waste which makes it stronger and a very stable timber comparable to hardwood. It contains no chemicals and requires no further treatment. Usual deck maintenance is all thats required. Kebony decking starts of a golden brown colour which will grey as with hardwoods in our climate unless treated.
The sting in the tail is Kebony is slightly more expensive than hardwood decking (already high and rising), this we hope to drop in price as it becomes more popular as we think it is very good alternative to hardwood decking and much more enviromentally friendly as it is european softwood and not tropical hardwoods (balau, ipe, massaranduba etc)
As well as decking Kebony is also available in slats for bespoke trellis work and cladding.
for more information on Kebony and its products click here
nb: if your intention is to let your deck timber grey naturally then look carefully at the grain of the wood, Kebony or hardwood, as this is what will shine through. For me the more interesting the grain the more attractive the deck will look when it silvers.
About 2 years ago this Beech hedge was planted (not by us), at the time of planting these bare-root hedging plants should of had approx 12" taken off the height of the plant to encourage sideways branching. As you can see 2 years later they not met with their adjacent hedging plant and probably never will if these are not reduced in height. Most if not all hedging plants are trees in their own right and want to grow as such, it is only by our manipulation they become a hedge.
It's bulb planting time again so here are few of the popular bulbs you may be planting and the suggested planting densities.
Alliums ( large bulb) (depth) 20cm (apart) 20cm
Alliums (small bulb) (d) 10cm (a) 10cm
Crocus (d) 8cm (a) 8cm
Hyancinths (d) 20cm (a)15cm
Daffodils (small flower) (d) 15cm (a) 10cm
Daffodils (large flower) (d) 20cm (a) 13cm
Tulips (short) (d) 12cm (a) 12cm
Tulips (tall) (d) 12cm (a) 13cm
It's better to put a bulb in too shallow than too deep, a bulb will pull itself down with its roots to a correct depth all on its own but a bulb that is planted too deep can not pull itself up.
If it's a statement you want to add in your garden, place a focal point or just want to add something fun the Allium giganteum bulb is a must. This bulbs grows into a monster, up to 1.5 metre in height and a perfect purple rounded flower head. As with most Alliums the foliage starts dying just as soon as the plant is ready to flower so plant in the middle of a border to hide the foliage at the base, you might also want to plant this bulb in a sheltered position (because of its height) and although these bulbs are expensive as far as bulbs go plant in small groups of 5 or more for maximum impact.
Allium giganteums are not fussy about soil type, chalk, clay, loam or sand but plenty of sun is a must. If you are planting in a clay soil dig in some grit, this will improve drainage and stop any winter bulb rot from excessive winter wet. These really are the giant allium bulbs, don't be confused, many suppliers are offering other allium bulbs confusing the matter by saying "giant flower".
Springwatch gained a huge audience this year with their 24/7 coverage of different breeds of chicks hatching in different nest box boxes , it was pretty amazing to see . You can easily have this too, watch your own nest boxes whenever and wherever you want with a bird box camera, you can even watch streaming on the internet from wherever you are. Handykam stock lots of different kits and their site is full of useful information helping you to choose the right system.
I will be putting a system into a garden design I am building and will update with you how this goes in the Spring.
With most flowering plants now done and dusted for the year (or on their last legs) this plant is a must for late season colour. Helianthus "Lemon Queen" is a real beast and needs to go at the back of a border, reaching up to 2m in height .It does need full (ish) sun but does not seem to mind soil type, I have them growing in two different planting designs, one in clay soil the other in a dry, poor soil and they are both doing as well as each other.
Being a late flowering plant consider planting Helianthus "Lemon Queen" with tall Miscanthus which is also flowering at the moment. I took this picture at the weekend so you can see it's at its best at the moment and also providing much needed nectar to bees late in the year.
Helianthus "Lemon Queen" is available from Crocus
A full list of landscape gardening services we offer in SW London. When you do not need a garden design and a landscape gardener is all that's needed we are happy to help with your requirements.
Patio install
We can plan and install your patio with minimum fuss and disruption. Samples are available of all the different types of stone we install, sandstone, limestone, slate, travertine and granite. If you prefer to supply your own patio stones we are happy to work with your choice. All patio installation is carried out to the highest standard and follows all recognised standards, no short cuts are taken, ensuring your patio with last for years to come
Pergolas
Supply your own or we can supply a tailor made one for you in a choice of soft or hardwood.
Raised borders
We can build these for you using brick, rendered block work or soft or hardwood timber sleepers.
Fencing
Overlap or close board style, all fencing work is built to last.
Water features
If you have purchased a water and need it installed or need some creative ideas then we are pleased to help.
Garden Paths
These can be formal in style ie paver's or patio slabs or more informal using bark or gravel
Ponds
We can work with you to landscape a natural wildlife pond or a pond for fish (the two do not normally go together)
Border Work
Creating new borders? With our design experience we can help you plan, create and plant these.
The list of landscape gardening services is exhaustive, our thinking is "if it's in the garden we do it".
Our landscape gardener services cover the following areas:
Barnes , Putney, Richmond, Twickenham, Mortlake, Sheen, Clapham, Battersea, Wandsworth, Kingston, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Isleworth, Hammersmith, Balham, Earlsfield, Fulham, Roehampton. Chelsea
Install a rain chain instead of a drainpipe.
What I love about garden design is there is always an attractive solution to almost everything you come up against. Rain hits the roof of your house or garden building , gets channelled into a gutter and then down an ugly black down pipe to be whisked away. There is an alternative to this ugly pipe, enter the "rain chain"
There are 2 styles of rain chain available. One is a simple arrangement of interlocking chains which the water runs down and a cup style. The chain style is more suited to garden buildings as they tend to splash more where as the cup style acts just like a normal down pipe would without much splash or spill.
Rain Chain Styles
Simple chain style in copper
Rain chain cup style
Rain chains are simple to install and should come with all the necessary fixtures and fittings.
If you are embarking on a "green roof project" then these are the guide lines on the typical weight once installed.
There are two types of green roof which allow for the growing of different types of plants. The most popular is a green roof system called "extensive". This is the lightest of the both with a load of 70 - 170 kg per square meter once planted. The big variation in load is due to substrate depth ( substrate is the growing medium, what the plant roots will grow in) An extensive green roof is also suitable for projects around the garden such as planting your shed / garage roof and storage units.
An intensive green roof has a deeper substrate, allowing for a greater range of plants to grow and the load per square meter is between 290 and kg on the existing roof structure.
If you are embarking on an extension or new garden design then give a green roof some consideration, what is better to look at, a grey asphalt roof or an attractive planted Sedum green roof?