I don't think they're marginal here--there's a slight risk of blooms being killed by a late frost but not a great danger. I don't think I needed to go out of my way to find an especially cold-hardy tree but there's probably a good reason we don't do much in the way of commercial peaches here (and by...

Will you include a peach tree? I put a peach tree in my yard a few years ago, selected solely for its cold hardiness, and was suprised to discover that it actually makes good peaches. (I'm not from around here so I do know what good peaches are supposed to taste like.) Of course, it's warmer here in...

I've never seen a picture before where that stuff looked any better than a roadside weed, but yours is just lovely. I might have to rethink that one!

Thanks y'all. I just didn't want to be fulfilling my oath by planting a new bamboo in the same spot every year...using the old one for mulch...

Is it too late in the year to plant some bamboo? I'd like to put in some F. rufa and/or a small runner in a nice cool spot but would it have time to establish before the end of the growing season? If I have to wait, the spouse might put something else there because there's a bald spot in the landsca...

I have a robusta as well as some rufa that isn't curling in this 100F heat. My other Fargesias look positively angry at the weather. I do have them in light afternoon shade, but not really enough shade for the nitida or murielae. I did remember to water them today though!

I still want my little patch of Phyllostachys. The thread on bamboo in planters is inspiring, but my driveway is not big enough, and I have a few spruce stumps to hide (haven't actually had the trees removed yet, but their days are numbered). I'm thinking of making a container for this area, and usi...

Wait a minute...named like "Bob" and Fluffy" and "Sparky"?


I've never seen Plant Tone, but I'll check for it. I've got a soaker hose going--that helps alot.

I think that's what scares us bamboo novices the most: that someone will have reason to say "I told you so!"

I don't care if I mess up, but I don't want some smug burning-bush-stella-del-oro-planting neighbor saying "toldjaso".

Thanks for the advice. One of my new plants is actually shooting...crazy thing. So far they seem to be doing OK. I'm just not sure if it's too early to fertilize.

Obviously, I'm a terrible gardener, asking questions like these... Anyway, I planted some small pots of Fargesia a month ago and I'm wondering when to fertilize. Do the plants prefer some time to settle in first, or do they settle better with ferts? I also transplanted an older (but still small) one...

Thanks for the information!

Maybe I'll just not get emotionally attached to anything I plant.

Does anyone have experience or advice on whether "Green Screen" is any better or worse or different than the type? I know both may be only marginally hardy in my zone (though reports seem to vary) but I think it's worth trying and I'm not sure which to get.

Thanks!

The results have surprised me too as they're usually described as having the same growing requirements. I don't have a really good description of the site because I'm not sure what's relevant and I haven't tested the soil or anything useful. Any particular questions I'll try to find out and answer. ...

I guess I won't put it right up against the house, but I don't think I'll plan on a mature size, either. These are the most do-nothing plants I've ever had not die. I wouldn't want to mess with a septic tank either. I've just got an eighty-year-old sewer, complete with manhole. The sewer's deep enou...