An experienced gardener has issued a warning to those who enjoy gardening at home about one ‘destructive’ plant.
Lots of people like to grow plants and flowers in their gardens and there are many to choose from but some are harder to manage than others. A fourth generation gardener shared a clip on TikTok explaining how bamboo can be ‘very invasive’.
Speaking in the video, he said: “Don’t make the mistake I did with bamboo. This yellow grove bamboo is absolutely beautiful but it’s very invasive.
“Have a look at the size of these shoots. These are this year’s, absolutely loads of them coming up everywhere.
“Luckily, it is contained somewhat.” The horticulturist, with 30 years of gardening experience, told his viewers to imagine if they planted the bamboo in a small garden.
He added: “I’ve actually been to quite a few jobs over the years where this has been planted and it’s gone absolutely wild, caused all sorts of problems, gone under neighbour’s fences, pushing up through their patios, through driveways, block paving. What a nightmare.”
The gardener recommended growing bamboo if you have the room for it, repeating that it is “absolutely beautiful.” However, he noted that it “does come with a warning.”
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK’s leading gardening charity, calls bamboo “useful garden plants” that provide “evergreen screening and colourful stems.” It also warns that in favourable growing conditions, some will “spread quickly, with strong, fast-growing stems shooting up some distance from the parent plant.”
Most bamboos are categorised as having either ‘running’ or ‘clumping’ habits, according to the RHS. The charity shares that bamboo shoots and canes are “incredibly strong and can sometimes grow through cracks and gaps in hard surfaces.”
There are a few ways to stop bamboo spreading out of its allotted space and becoming an issue, outlined by the RHS. One of them is to think about the space you would like to fill and if the growing conditions are “likely to encourage vigorous growth.”
The charity states that it is often best to choose a clump-forming type. It also recommends growing bamboo in a container, mentioning that the smaller types are most suitable for this.
Another suggestion by the gardening resource is to insert a physical barrier when planting by placing your bamboo in the desired location and digging a trench at least 60cm deep around it, ensuring you leave enough space for the bamboo to expand. Then, insert a physical barrier into the trench.
The fourth generation gardener’s TikTok video has garnered thousands of views, nearly 500 likes and more than 80 comments. One user said: “My neighbours have it, it’s grown under the fence all over my garden. It’s a nightmare, it keeps growing back within a week!!”
Another shared: “God I hate my bamboo. Biggest mistake ever. Don’t know how to get rid of it.”