When I was fetching some old, ex rain shelters stored at the back of our smaller greenhouse right at the bottom of the garden I caught glimpse of a clump of bamboo at an angle that I very rarely see it from.
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| Looking beautiful and blue - Borinda papyrifera |
It was looking great and I had to quickly grab the camera shortly after so I could take snaps of it from the same spot while the lighting was good too.
Seeing this specimen made me remember why I had an infatuation with bamboos before. I got so into them that at one point a few years ago I had over a hundred different species and forms of them.
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| Blue new culms... |
Alas the infatuation was not meant to progress beyond that. Lacking the space to sustain them all as well as a decrease on the lustre of my affection towards them I let go of many of them.
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| Graceful cascading leaves |
Perhaps in the future if we have more space to garden then I can rekindle this infatuation, and this time let it blossom to a full blown romance. Many of the rarer ones that I let go now reside in a friend's garden and I'm sure I can get a division again when,or rather if that time comes.
Meanwhile I shall continue to cherish the plants that are left in our garden, remnants of an infatuation.
What about you, have you ever been infatuated by a group of plants before to find yourself drifting away from it later on?
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
So what's the current bamboo count? I went through a few "phases": creeping thymes (don't do well in my soil or climate), cactus, agaves (winters too wet here), Colocasia, and although I've reduced the number of bamboos I still have plenty (45?), and I think this one is here to stay!
ReplyDeleteI think we still have over forty Alan. It still sounds a lot but is a manageable size for our garden. Lucky were the the ones that got planted early on as most of them stayed, only a few were dug out. The ones is pots were the first ones to go.
DeleteI remember early on about the bamboos you planted in your garden, some of them are very impressive specimens now!
Hello Mark and Gaz,
ReplyDeleteWell, we think that it is a good thing that your infatuation with Bamboo has at least been halted in its tracks for the moment. Otherwise, we can see that you would be needing a machete to garden with instead of a hand fork. So much easier, not to say manageable, that you now have an Echeveria crush!
Ahh that's so true Jane and Lance. The ones left needs extra maintenance as it is. Fortunately none of the naughty ones were planted...
DeleteThose blue culms are stunning. Doesn't the bamboo run everywhere for you? or is that a non-invasive variety or do you have secrets for keeping them in bounds?
ReplyDeleteI was totally in love with all abutilons for a long time but alas I'm planning on letting many of them go this year. They need to be kept in the green over winter and they do get very buggy in March in the greenhouse or under lights in the house and become difficult to keep bug free. So I'll probably only keep my A. 'Souvenir de Bonne' and a couple others. I'm letting go all the Bella hybrids and a couple old standards as well.
This one is a clumper Deanne although it does expands out. Sounds like valid reasons to let go of your Abutilons, and I can understand why you got into them in the first place with their pretty blooms.
DeleteI actually do have a clump of Fargesia rufa that I absolutely adore. A beautiful plant that looks pretty tropical in our zone 5 climate
DeleteThat blue bamboo is a lovely shade! I used to love daylilies, and I still do, but maybe not quite as much as before. I still have quite a few, but I'm not driven to buy others. It's interesting how sometimes you can look at the garden from a different angle and it's like seeing it anew.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see the appeal with Daylilies Alison, and how easy it is to get hooked into them. Changes in angles does renew perspective of parts of the garden, refreshing vistas of things you get complacent with :)
DeleteI can see why you love that beautiful blue bamboo! I'm fickle - I easily become infatuated and go overboard buying plants without a clear idea of how they'll perform in my area. (Hence the purchase of 15 Rudbeckia plants just last week.) If they don't hold up over time, I lose interest and go on to the next new thing. It would be better for my pocketbook if I did more research upfront but enthusiasm tends to take over whatever good sense I possess.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's nice to get lost in the sensation of buying and collecting things in a whim Kris. They don't always make sense later on but while it lasted it was fun :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful blue color of the young culms of that bamboo! I remember when you gave away so many of your collection. I think that almost all gardeners dream of more space. I wish for you to someday have acres of bamboo groves!
ReplyDeleteThank you Peter! Acres of garden play space would be a dream come true :)
DeleteYou still have 40? That's more than a passing infatuation! These are beautiful photos. I don't get infatuated with plants - it's true love!
ReplyDeleteI suppose the infatuation is actually still lingering Sarah, it never really left but just settled to a more sensible size (which as you've said is still quite a lot) :)
DeleteWOAH! I'm a sucker for blue and this is no exception!
ReplyDeleteI think there may be lots of options available out there for you Amy, with culms just as blue and are happy in your warmer climate :)
DeleteThe colour of those new culms is stunning. I had bamboos in the previous garden, but they did become a problem eventually. There's a bit more space here, and having seen them growing in a wooded setting at Trebah I am newly inspired.
ReplyDeleteTrebah is amazing garden Jessica, I'm glad to hear you've been. Their bamboo displays are stunning! This bamboo will love your location, and it doesn't wander where it's not supposed to :)
DeleteAs the others have said wow! That blue is gorgeous, as are the papery bits whose name I have completely lost.
ReplyDeleteI've had a couple of weird passing infatuations, one year was coleus and another those bright caladium. Thankfully my big crushes (agaves) seem here to stay.
Coleus, now that's a surprise Loree! Agaves are here to stay as well :)
DeleteI just removed a clump of what was sold to me as Borinda papyrifera. Looking at your photos--and others--it was definitely not that species. Mine was dull green and drooping, not the icy blue culms seen in your photos. I'd have to say this is one my favorite bamboo species, and I wish I'd had it in my garden.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a fellow bamboo aficionado who has severely edited his collection, infatuations come and go, and that is PERFECTLY alright. Really, what it means is that we're open to new influences and adventures instead of being so set in our ways that we don't know when it's time to let go.
Spoken with true wisdom Gerhard, absolutely agree. Not letting oneself evolve and let go prevents from experiencing new things.
DeleteHopefully you can find this one in your area, perhaps worth making for it if you do? I remember when you evolved from bamboos to more into succulents, both beautiful group of plants but the former more apt for your area and you do grow them beautifully.
That's such a lovely stem colour. I get so bored with the all the yellows here in the UK (and of course) the trendy phyllostachys nigra!
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