Bamboo in pots

I bought some big bamboos and ihave just put them in 80l pots as they are listed as invasive types. Interestingly Dobbies fails to mention that in their planting instructions!

Anyway I was wondering if anyone can recommend anything that I can companion plant alongside them in the pots. Something that won't compete too much for water and nutrients. Ideally i would like something that will creep and hang out of the pot and drape down. The base of the pot will be in semi shade.

 

Bamboos do better in the ground then in pots.
Perhaps you could get some bamboo barrier?

The bamboo will spread to the edges of the pot quite quickly, and use up the nutrients and water. Doubt much will survive with it - perhaps Ivy?

 

Ironically, invasive bamboos in containers seem to struggle, in my experience. They need space and regular moisture

Monty put large bamboos in containers a couple of years ago......i wonder what happened to them?

Use a john innes compost Mike not mpc

Keep us updated Mike. Hope you do well with them.

 

Mine are clumping i did put them in blue barrels cut in half so the roots can go where they want i do have some plants climbing up them everlasting pea and a passion flower has started to grow on one of them i will introduce more climbers in the future.
Bamboo

 

The pots are probably fairly temporary . The area i need screening for has a whole load of tree stumps and the ground is bad. I will possibly need a digger to dig out the area i need for a root barrier.

I've got two types so far for this area phyllostachys nigra and phyllostachys aureosulcata. Black and golden which are commonly sold at the big garden centres. No where have i seen them being marked as invasive while they are being sold. I wonder how many people plant them directly in the ground with no root barrier. Dobbies even states the nigra as clumping on the tag and provides instructions to plant straight into the ground.

I've got some creeping thyme plants that I can divide up that may work for a bit before becoming overcrowded.

 

I planted a load of clumping ones last year and also trained a passion flower over one. The passion flowers are just beginning to kick off again so hopefully they'll get a good string of flowers running through them this year.

 

phyllostachys aurea is one I planted a few years back in front and back garden. After one summer season I checked and found the roots were running deep and wide in both places. I immediately removed them but the following spring I found pieces growing a couple of metres from their planting sites! I have planted Nigra for a friend but she has almost 6 acres.
The clumping ones, fargesia types, will not take over the garden

 

@Mike77 I have had Phyllostachys nigra for about 10 years it is planted in open ground and is now approx 1m*1m so spreading slowly. I have cut a couple of clumps off it for other people and these have been grown in pots by them for a couple of years without problems. They do need plenty of water and feeding to thicken up the stems. The black colouration takes a season or two to develop fully. I thin mine every winter and also cut off the lower leafs to give a better view of the stems.

 

Hi Nigel was it you who had one flower, if so how did you get on with it please,

From what ive read and proofing to be true some of the running type act like clumping in colder areas, if i do get them running it would be quite easy to run a cheese wire under the bottom of the barrel and keep it under control that way its one of the reasons i have planted them as i have.

 

@martin-f I am probably warmer than you and yes I had a Fargesia nitidia flower this time last year. It is still alive, it has some green leaves on it. I am waiting to see if I get any new shoots this year, having fed and mulched it after flowering last year. If I get no shoots this year I will dig it out and replace it. I'm not optimistic though, neither am I looking forward to removing it.

 

Hi Nigel, yes a fair bit warmer down there in Paignton once worked there some years ago only there for a week,

Good luck with it, two of mine are throwing up new shoots at the moment.