Bashania

bamboothew · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:03 pm

It came to my atteneion yesterday that I have somehow totally ignored the Bashanias while I have been collecting bamboos! It seems to me that they would do very well in my climate but there isn't very much information online, since apparently it is relatively new to cultivation in the US. I know that some of you guys here have been growing Bashania fargesii for a few years now, and I wonder what your impressions are, both in its culture and aesthetics. Thanks for any info you would share!

Alan_L · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:06 pm

My B. fargesii is in a big pot which I drag under the deck stairs next to the house for the winter. Last year I wrapped in plastic too, but this year skipped it. Showing some burn anyway, even in our mild winter. I've read that it sends rhizomes quite deep, so I won't be putting it into the ground. I may put it into one of those close-bottom boxes I've been building and see how it does over winter unprotected. I suspect it won't do well.

bamboothew · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:54 am

Interesting, I have read that perhaps it is very hardy indeed, but maybe not after all

Deep rhizomes? Sounds to me like a challenge

bamboodoc · **Posted:** Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:11 am

Bashania fargesii is a rampant runner (like Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda) and has been in the US for at least 15 years. You don't see it much and it doesn't garner much at auction, probably because it "propagates" so well, especially in a Mediterranean climate.

kudzu9 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:56 pm

I've got a large clump of B. fargesii at one corner of my house. It's about 20' tall and 3' in diameter at the base. The culms come up very close together and it makes for an impressive planting. I have had no trouble keeping runners in check using my pickaxe once a year. The runners are close to the surface (top 6"-8"), are not as thick as many of my other bamboo, and do not have a lot of fine roots coming off them. All this makes rhizome pruning/removal pretty easy. It also seems to be resistant to bamboo mites...which I am battling with some of my other bamboos all the time. In my Zone 8 climate, it stays evergreen all year and loses no leaves in winter.

bamboothew · **Posted:** Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:04 pm

Thanks, kudzu! That's exactly what I have in mind, a 3' or so clump. Got a nice division from a forum member, which is already shooting :cool:

kudzu9 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:54 am

Here's a picture of my clump:

needmore · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:12 pm

Here is the quingchengshanensis form showing the genus tendency to move out, it has reached the larger viridis culm in the background. This one really caught my eye in Europe, these starts were thanks to our webmaster here :mrgreen:

My fargesii form was relocated about a year ago and I moved the original clump hoping that it still had some viable buds. It did, it is just starting to spread but is a nice size a looks clumping now but I know better.

Alan_L · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:34 pm

Matthew -- don't use PNW spreading habits as typical of what you'd see. I bet you see a LOT more rhizome spread than they do up there.

kudzu9 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:51 pm

Alan-
Good point. The OP is actually in a colder winter Zone than mine, but the summers are hotter; I bet I get more precipitation. It will be interesting to see what happens. I've stayed on this bamboo every year since it got established and started sending out rhizomes (about year 3), and it hasn't been too hard to keep it well-behaved; whether it's less aggressive in my Zone, or that I'm just good about catching the rhizomes is an open question. In addition, besides water and temperature, there is the natural variability that occurs with any bamboo because of soil conditions/nutrients in different locations.

bamboothew · **Posted:** Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:42 pm

Oh yes, I've already learned that whatever anyone says about a runner's vigor they are almost all rampant here

This is the second spring for henon and it is shooting 10 feet away, aureosulcata 'aureocaulis' even farther, and nigra is about as aggressive. Strangely, aurea and vivax haven't really started running yet, guess maybe they'll take an extra year to get started

needmore · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:38 pm

Here are 3 shots of B fargesii, replanted here in 2010.

bamboothew · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:15 pm

Wow, those are beautiful culms!

kudzu9 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:39 pm

Matthew-
Yes, those culms are nice. They are very straight and almost solid. They have persistent sheaths.

philippe smets · **Posted:** Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:56 pm

very nice needmore,

on the sun scale, 1--->5, where would you put bashania ?

isn't it very close to your house ?

ph

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