Thamnocalamus tesselata, the South African bamboo,
and Thamnocalamus crassinodus and Fargesia robusta make fine hardy
bamboos. Indeed, a specimen of T. tesselata provides a fine windbreak
and backdrop to a large Trachycarpus fortunei in my own garden.
This bamboo remains undamaged even when exposed to quite strong
northerly winds.
A shorter, but for me, an indispensable bamboo is
Sasa palmata nebulosa. This vigorous, extremely invasive, but easily
controlled bamboo, forms dense spreading clumps of curving culms
6-9ft high topped with large paper-thin leaves of 12" in length
and 4" or more wide. The impression is of a very tropical and
lush plant that is in fact extremely hardy and very happy under
cool moist growing conditions. It looks particularly good when its
lush foliage is contrasted against the much smaller leaves of C.
couleou or T. crassinodus.
Not all bamboos have plain green leaves, and in
recent years an increasing number of variegated and coloured leaf
forms have become available. Notable, among these is Pleioblastus
viridistriatus chrysophyllus, (now P. auricomus chrysophyllus) a
golden yellow form of the yellow and green striped P. viridistriatus.
Both forms are very pleasing and decorative small bamboos of up
to 3ft, with a slowly spreading habit. A taller (up to Oft) and
rather striking bamboo is Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima'
with large leaves having spectacular creamy white bands, often tinged
pink when young. However for me the best new introduction is Sasa
kurilensis 'Shimofuri' looking like a small S. palmata in form,
its leaves having numerous thin white stripes.
There is no doubt that the bamboos can provide that
extra year round exoticism to any garden, while complementing other
exotics, particularly palms, and other large leafed evergreens with
their contrasting foliage and form with the added bonus of the protection
of the 'CULM BEFORE THE STORM'.
The Culm Before The Storm 
