Experienced grower's notes on Black Bamboo

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Black Bamboo remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is feeding with a high-nitrogen fertiliser in early spring. Everything else follows from that.

yellowing leaves from drought or nitrogen deficiency is the challenge that trips up most beginners and some experienced growers too. I've been growing mine in a Japanese or contemporary minimalist garden design for three seasons now and the results are consistently good. beautiful sound of canes moving in wind is what makes it worth coming back to year after year. cane hardening and leafing out through summer is when I show it off — it earns its place fully then.