bamBOO! happy halloween

I apologize for that. And yet I’m not changing it. Oh well. So out front sits a fresh mound of loam — 6 yards of it…

fresh loam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t look like much until you start shoveling it. Then you realize it’s never-ending. So why the soil? I finally got around to planting the Phyllostachys nigra ‘Hale’ black bamboo that’s been waiting for its permanent spot. Quite a project. The hole is somewhere between 2 and 3′ deep, so it required a LOT of soil to fill it…

bamboo planting 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the 80 mil bamboo barrier that should (hopefully) keep the roots from escaping…

bamboo planting 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try dragging that 70 lb thing down the hill and tossing it into the pit. No, really. Go ahead…

bamboo planting 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I dug a trench for the barrier a little deeper than the hole. Then David and I ran the sheet around the oval…

bamboo planting 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stainless steel clamps run up both sides of the overlapping barrier to ensure that the bamboo roots don’t sneak out…

bamboo planting 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, there were nuts and bolts and power tools involved…

bamboo planting 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now the Hale is happily in its new home below the retaining wall, where it should be safe from strong winter winds…

bamboo planting 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily, I got it in the ground right before the temperatures dropped below freezing this weekend. Nothing like the last minute. Now I’d better get outside and move the remaining 4 yards of dirt. Oy.

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4 Responses to “bamBOO! happy halloween”

  1. jc says:

    I miss seeing Dave’s cool copper trellis…. But next year’s bamboo growth should make me feel better.

  2. Brook says:

    oh, you’ll still be able to see the trellis — the bamboo is mostly in front of the storage doors and not the concrete wall. i hope the bamboo makes it through the winter!

  3. jc says:

    My Black Bamboo lived a couple years/winters, until it dried out in a pot….

  4. Brook says:

    i remember going to buy it with you. i saw my first bluebird that day.

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