[ciaranlan]

Hi All,
I want to plant something along a 12 ft long, north facing wall on my patio. I was thinking of some tall and light bamboo (max 10ft high) in a long wooden container (approx 1ft wide) Does anyone know which type would be best. I prefer the smaller leaved species that spread but not clump.
Regards,
Ciaran

[Sedum and Sage]

Hi, I have seen bamboo planted in a container as you describe, and unfortunately while it seems to do ok for a year or 2 they eventually run out of space and die. Unless someone else knows of a variety that can survive with limited room for root growth?
Apart from that I can't really think of another plant that would fit the bill. Sounds like a fairly tricky planting conundrum. What about virginia creeper on the wall and evergreen ferns underneath?

[tippben]

It is possible to divide bamboo and repot. When it gets very pot bound, You can hack it into clumps with something machete like, or a very sharp axe. Then put about half back in, and repot with fresh compost. You can pot up the leftovers, give them away, or throw them away. If you want, you could buy a couple of larger specimens, in maybe 30l pots,and hack them into half or quarters. This makes planting easier, and would save you money. We used to do this regularly to propagate bamboos, like black bamboo, and golden Phyllostachys. The main difficulty with containerised bamboos is making sure they get loads of water. Slow release fertiliser helps too, as they are very hungry.