Bamboo for Gardens is written by Washington State resident, Ted Meredith. While most of the photos are close-ups of their subject, it’s fun to see rhododendrons or a Douglas fir lurking in the background of wider shots.
Wherever you live, this would be an important and useful book. While there is the expected A-Z encyclopedia of species, it is unusual that the introductory material–such as culture, propagation, uses in the landscape–fills more than half the book. Some unexpected treasures can be found here, including the use of bamboo in both traditional and modern economies, and tips on eating bamboo.
You will learn, for example, that the shoots of Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda “are considered exceptional.” The fun continues in the encyclopedia section as we learn that this same, nearly unpronounceable species, which hails from central China, is harvested for walking sticks, and “…is the subject of history, myth, and fable in Chinese culture, dating back to at least the Han Dynasty in the first or second century B.C.”
While the author keeps the writing interesting, the more mundane information is very solid, including his discussions of how to deal with “…an attack from the demonic plant that invaded unexpectedly and ceaselessly, and could not be stopped or killed.” With the voice of experience and fondness that one might expect to be used on an errant puppy, Meredith carefully explains the different methods of containment for running bamboo.
Excerpted from the Summer 2012 Arboretum Bulletin.