By CHARLES REYNOLDS, Halifax Media Group
Few plants are as evocative, useful and misunderstood as bamboo, which includes about 450 species from Asia, South America and Africa.
A clump of Graceful Bamboo in the Bamboo Garden at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens during the first week of the 31st Annual Winter Bamboo Sale, in Gainesville. (GAINESVILLE SUN / 2012 / ARCHIVE)
Ranging from 2 to 150 feet tall depending on species, bamboo is generally divided into two categories: running bamboos, which spread widely via long underground shoots, and which tend to be extremely cold-hardy, and clumping bamboos, which form dense clusters of stems and can be hardy, half-hardy or tender. Except for collectors and folks with large properties, most gardeners should stick to clumping types, of which there are plenty of hardy species and varieties to choose from.
But bamboo, used since the dawn of humanity to construct homes and fashion a vast array of implements, is becoming increasingly important on our crowded, environmentally degraded planet. Stands of bamboo provide 35 percent more oxygen and sequester considerably more carbon dioxide than equivalent tracts of forest, which is why Temperate Zone countries such as Japan and the Netherlands have installed extensive tracts.
In addition, bamboo groves provide cheaper and more sustainable sources of pulp for paper production than pine forests. Finally, cloth made from bamboo fibers is extremely soft, absorbent and naturally anti-microbial. And unlike cotton cultivation — which uses 25 percent of the pesticides applied in the U.S. and more chemicals than any other crop — bamboo doesn't require pesticides.
Among the reasons for the lack of bamboo forests in North America have been insufficient seedling availability and, reportedly, opposition from the timber industry. Fortunately, the seedling shortage has been solved by tissue-culture propagation, so perhaps the future of bamboo is getting brighter.
As you might imagine, individuals and institutions have long been intrigued by the potential landscaping and industrial uses of bamboo. The earliest large-scale endeavor was undertaken in 1919 when Barbour Lathrop, at the urging of Dr. David Fairchild, purchased a 48-acre tract in Georgia and presented it to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an experimental bamboo garden. The property, which already boasted a grove of giant timber bamboo, now includes 125 species of bamboo and is operated by the University of Georgia's College of Agriculture and Environmental Science. It's called Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens.
Also featured at this historic site are hardy palms and numerous flowering plants. Admission is free. Visit www.coastalgeorgiabg.org, or call (912) 921-5890.
Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate degree in horticulture and is a member of the Garden Writers Association of America.
