What is the difference between clumping and running bamboo

And most of the time, amateur gardeners will find it very difficult to tell them apart. Bamboo comes in all shapes and sizes. There are species that grow to the size of a chopstick, and there are those that exceed feet in height. There are bamboos from the Amazon rainforest and others from the snowy Himalayas. Some bamboo is native to the southeastern United States, and some is endemic to the highlands of sub-Saharan Africa. But for the purposes of classification, botanists organize and identify bamboo according to its physiology.

That is, they look at the shape of the rhizomes, the structure of the flowers, and the configuration of the branches. So if you have a few bamboos belonging to the same genus, they will all have the same rhizome type either running or clumping , the same kinds of flowers, and the same arrangement of branches.

Although they might be considerably different in size. In botanical jargon, running bamboo belongs to the Arundinarieae tribe and has what we call leptomorph or monopodial rhizomes. Basically, this means that the rhizomes extend outward, away from the main plant, parallel to the ground. In most respects, the rhizomes are very similar to the stems or culms that grow upward. They have the same kind of segmentation, with nodal joints, and are generally hollow on the inside.

The old adage says that in the first year bamboo sleeps, in the second year it creeps, and in the third year it leaps. And after a year or two, the rhizomes will start producing fresh shoots, sending them straight upwards. This aggressive growth habit has earned running bamboo a rather nasty reputation. But the dangers of planting running bamboo are somewhat exaggerated.

See the section on how to bamboo, below. The phrase temperate bamboo is often used synonymously with running bamboo. Unlike the vast majority of clumping bamboos, running bamboo tends to come from cooler climates. Therefore, most running bamboos are very cold-hardy and can survive snowy winters and montane climates. This is one of the reasons why running bamboos are more popular, especially in certain parts of the world. But there are definitely some exceptions to this rule.

See our in-depth article on cold-hardy clumpers. The most common genus of running bamboo is Phyllostachys. This genus includes about 50 species, and countless cultivars or subspecies.

Because of its aggressive growth habit, Phyllostachys has successfully established itself all across the world.

Consequently, you can find P. Its easy propagation also makes this one of the least expensive bamboos. Cheap and plentiful, these are two good reasons why people end up planting this variety of bamboo, or running bamboo in general.

If you want a plant that will grow fast and quickly fill in a certain area of your garden, runners like Phyllostachys are a great choice. It's invasive? True, it can be. The plant, a member of the grass family, has been known to take over entire yards, gardens, parks, streets, and sewers. Once we're all gone, bamboo can take over the world; OK, not really, but you get the picture. There are varieties of bamboo you can grow that clump, rather then spread by runners.

Just like any regular perennial, this bamboo grows from the center out. Then we can all relax a little and still be able to enjoy lovely stands of bamboo. Look at nursery tags. If the Latin name starts with "Bambusa" or "Dendrocalamus," you know you are in the presence of a true non-invasive variety. Clumpers spread out, by a couple of inches to feet a year. It does not run and take over; these clumpers are mostly slow growers and always well behaved.

Tags that start with "Phyllostachys," "Sasa," "Pseudosasa" or "Sinobambusa" -- among others -- are running bamboo. Running bamboo spreads from an underground rhizome which grow in unpredictable directions and up to as much as six metres in length. New bamboo shoots will then grow through the surface at varying intervals along the length of that rhizome to form the bamboo culms poles.

Running bamboo then send off further rhizomes, again spreading up to 6 mtrs in any direction beyond the original plant - producing the running bamboo grove. Think of this like an underground web of rhizomes that don't have a spacial limit. Running bamboo can produce amazing groves, forests or when kept in pots be great screening plants.

They are also very popular in cities where a lot of garden beds are already concreted around due to the buildings and roads, which forms a root barrier for them. Running bamboo are particularly useful in narrow spaces where you need extra height!

With a root barrier, this prevents them from spreading It seems that everyone has heard the horror stories about bamboo, where the root systems are out of control, it would take over your garden and your neighbours' gardens, and it would constantly drop all its leaves! Unfortunately bamboo has received a bad reputation all due to a few running species planted in the wrong circumstances.

Just like fig trees planted right next to a house or pool!