YouGarden Pair of Fargesia 'Fountain' Bamboos

Bamboos can often strike fear into the heart of gardeners, as some are invasive, but fear not, this little bamboo is a very well behaved garden guest.

Fargesia is one of the best types, as it is short, and has many small canes, and a much more delicate appearance than more thuggish members of the family. In fact. it's juicy new shoots are the stuff Pandas dream of.

A relatively newly introduced dwarf bamboo, it produces masses of new culms (as the new shoots are called), which have a rusty tinge. They then green up, and unfurl masses of tiny thin green leaves, which are evergreen so last all year round. The canes are very slender and thin, so they gently arch over, hence it's common name of 'Fountain Bamboo'.

They are spectacular in big pots on the patio, and an ideal bamboo for small gardens. They also form a neat, dense and easy-care non-trim hedge, reaching 2M and no more over many years. Just don't let them dry out in hot, dry Summers that's all, otherwise they require almost no care at all - what could be simpler?

Plant them where the sun can shine through the canes, or where you can see or hear the breeze gently wafting and rustling through all year - a very sensual plant indeed.

Specifications

• Supplied as a pair of 2L pot grown bamboos, 40-50cm tall, ready to pot on or plant out
• Availability: March to October
• Planting time: September to June

Top Tips

• Bamboos are best restricted when planting either by incorporating a barrier or by growing in a large pot.
• Best planted in spring so that the food reserves in the rhizome are used to produce a good flush of fresh canes in summer.

Care Information

• Before planting, dig over the ground and add well-rotted manure or garden compost.
• Dig a planting hole so that the rootball sits slightly lower, with 2-3cm (1in) of soil covering the original surface
  Backfill the hole, taking care not to damage the young rhizomes, then water and mulch.
• Water regularly and ensure that bamboo plants in containers do not dry out even in winter as the foliage is prone to wind scorch.
• Give a high nitrogen feed in spring and apply a balanced fertiliser through the rest of the growing season until late August.
• New bamboo plants can be contained within a physical barrier to prevent them spreading through beds and borders.
• Divide the bamboo every couple of years.
• In spring, remove any weak, dead, damaged or spindly canes, cutting them to ground level with secateurs or loppers, at the same time remove any debris at the base of clumps.
• Smaller bamboos are ideal grown in a container at least 45cm (18in) across.
• In very cold weather, insulate containers with bubble wrap or move them to frost-free conditions.