Bamboo

Buddha Belly Bamboo

This is a clumping variety of bamboo we planted in the backyard.

We planted it a little over a year ago and it has gotten super full and tall.  Apparently if you prune it back from the bottom the inner branches get fatter.  I would have done this already but if anything goes wrong and it starts turning brown or something my husband would probably beat me with a cane of it.

I'll take a picture of the whole thing tomorrow to give you an idea of how large it is.

So I decided to cut it.  Now you can see the canes getting bellies!  And there is a lot of new growth at the bottom.  I read that if you don't cut the leaves growing from the bottom of the canes, the bamboo will die in the center from lack of sun and grow in a ring.

Black Bamboo

This is black bamboo, a running variety. 

It's been in the ground for about a year, next year this thing should take off.