Bamboos, like any grass, will grow fast if given lots of moisture during the growing season and masses of food between March and September. In order for it to become established as fast as possible, it's essential to restrict competition from other plants - keep young plants clear of anything (grass in particular), 3ft in every direction. Treat your lawn like this and you'll never stop mowing it, but treat your bamboo like this and it'll look beautifully green and lush from one end of the year to the other.

The Phyllostachys bamboos and the Semiarundinaria are different from the rest. The individual canes are bigger, more spaced out and more obviously branched. Like the others, they can be well fed and left to their own devices with occasional 'Brown Bitting' (removal of old and dead stuff). Alternatively, if you enjoy a more Japanese approach, much fun can be had with the creative use of a pair of secateurs. Each year when the new canes emerge from the ground, leave the biggest and best and cut off the smaller, unwanted ones. This way the 'mass' of growth is maintained but it's all concentrated into a smaller number of canes - depending on how ruthless you were to start with. Larger canes will not produce branches for the first few feet, exposing their decorative bases to view. Try it - it's a wonderful introduction to all sorts of possibilities of 'creative cutting' in the garden. Something the Japanese have been doing for centuries but us Europeans have only ever applied to rose bushes and fruit trees!

Recommended Essentials:

Fargesia murieliae

Phyllostachys aurea

Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis'

Phyllostachys aureosulcata spectabilis

Phyllostachys nigra

Phyllostachys pubescens or edulis

Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis'

Pleioblastus variegata

Pseudosasa japonica

Sasa palmata

Semiarundinaria fastuosa