New arrivals! G. atroviolacea and B. chungii!

[Kostas]

Hello

Yesterday just got my Gigantochloa atroviolacea and Bambusa chungii in the mail! Here they are fresh out the box!
G. atroviolacea


B. chungii,biggest culm arrived bent


And today!

Tropical Black






B. chungii, bent culm straightened and supported,shows growth!




Any advise to helping them recover better and faster would be most appreciated! Would it be ok to ground plant the B. chungii today or shall I let it adjust a week in its pot first? I want it as established as possible before winter comes as I will plant this one in a 9a/8b zone,the Gigantochloa is lucky to have a spot in my 9b/10a garden though

Thank you very much in advance!

[Kostas]

The bamboo are doing decently,there has been some leaf drop but nothing major except on the more sun exposed culms of Gigantochloa which have 1leaf left or got leafless. The more shaded ones retained all leafs and grew noticeably. Hope the others grow new leafs again as well!

Yesterday,I ground planted the Bambusa chungii in my 8b/9a garden as it's supposedly hardy enough. I will probably protect it its first winter till it gets some mass on it. Here it is in the ground!




Gigantochloa atroviolacea will be ground planted in October at my garden in Pyrgos,zone 9b/10a. Can't wait for that and to see some growth from them!!!

[bambambooboo]

Congrats on your new arrivals. Sorry I missed posting earlier, I definitely would have suggested some shade early on to acclimate them, especially thinking they just had a few days boxed. Plus I'm familiar with Robert's nursery, that some of the baby stock might have been shaded by plants nearby. Probably you'll have no problem though.

Interesting you've such difference in temps. Is the difference latitude, elevation, sea proximity or a bit of each? You did right putting Tropical Blue in the cooler clime. I'd think after you've got Black well established in the warmer one, you might attempt a division in your cooler garden. Probably once established there, at worst you'd get some top kill each year with new growth the following season.

Anyway, I'm a little jealous that the bamboo get to live in Greece. I bet it's beautiful there. Enjoy.

[Kostas]

I kept them in mostly shade but in an area where they would get a few hours of sun,thinking they could use the light. Thank you very much for your advise,should had put them in even less sun,i will know for the next order(Dendrocalamus asper is the next in my list,just need to make sure i have the space...)! Hope the naked culms grow new leafs soon. Weather cooled down today and will be cool for a week with some days of rain,so they will get a break from their water needs but i don't know how well they will grow in the low/mid 20'sC.

The zone difference is due to all of these factors. The garden in Melissia is at 350m elevation,higher latitude and away from the sea,at the foot of a cold mountain. My garden in Pyrgos is 330km away going southwest,2,8miles from the sea and lower latitude of course. Its in a much better climate area,with mild summers,warm winters with just 1-2nights a year close to 0C or slightly below it,and a nice rainy climate for 9months of the year with 1m of rain. And a shallow water table to go with all that I just don't have the space right now to place the chungii there as well,plus i wanted to be able to see it since its supposedly hardy enough for Melissia,so i thought i would start it there and once i do some hardscape changes and maybe expansion in the near future,i will get a division from Melissia and plant in Pyrgos as well.
I would be thrilled if Gigantochloa could survive in Melissia as well. The cold duration is pretty long and bad,with a few days below 0C(and down to -3C or -6C) for many many hours. I am even a little afraid of how chungii will do. Is it ok with long cold duration and snow? We usually get 30-50cm of snow cover,melting within a week,twice each winter annually in Melissia.

Thank you! Greece is nice,especially our sea and coastal areas. But plant availability is pretty bad...thus you don't see many interesting plants like in Florida gardens. The coast and islands could be so much better planted and landscaped,they would look like tropical islands easily! Minus the sharks of course...