Bamboo lovers I apologize. I apologize for what I’m about to say, and I apologize that I've let it get this bad.
The Sasa palmata has to go.
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It’s UGLY…
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It wasn’t always this way. Back in 2011 it looked fabulous…
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But it kept flopping over, taking up more and more of the patio. Last summer when I couldn’t take it anymore we tied it back, exposing the ugly bits.
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I compensated by putting lots of tall containers/plants in front of it and willed it to go away. But now, without those containers I’m exposed once again to the full power of ugly and I want it to just go away, all the way away. If it only were that easy right? I can’t even imagine how Andrew is going to respond when I say “wouldn’t you like to spend your weekend digging bamboo out of a stock tank”…
So I figure if I've got a plan and I can convince him how good it will look then I’ll stand a better chance of getting his buy-in. This is where you all come in…what should replace it? The other two tanks have better looking bamboo (yes Alan, I do need to fertilize it)…
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But I don’t really think I want to go that route here. What do YOU recommend? In the high summer this area gets direct sunlight until about 2 pm, and then it’s shady for the rest of the day. I’d like something that is relatively fast growing and evergreen. Whatever is growing here does need to act as a screening device as there is an boring wooden fence behind it (not ours) that's about 6ft tall, then a couple feet of open space (where you can look right into the neighbors back porch and family room windows), then laurel (which is also not ours). The only idea I've come up with so far is Ceanothus 'Dark Star', I like how the dark leaves would recede, and other then when it's in full glorious bloom, it would kind of disappear and just provide a neutral background for the plants and containers on the patio.
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Of course if you want to council me to keep the bamboo I’ll need to hear a method for rehabbing it. Please help, I can't wait to hear your ideas...
All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The Sasa palmata has to go.
It’s UGLY…
It wasn’t always this way. Back in 2011 it looked fabulous…
But it kept flopping over, taking up more and more of the patio. Last summer when I couldn’t take it anymore we tied it back, exposing the ugly bits.
I compensated by putting lots of tall containers/plants in front of it and willed it to go away. But now, without those containers I’m exposed once again to the full power of ugly and I want it to just go away, all the way away. If it only were that easy right? I can’t even imagine how Andrew is going to respond when I say “wouldn’t you like to spend your weekend digging bamboo out of a stock tank”…
So I figure if I've got a plan and I can convince him how good it will look then I’ll stand a better chance of getting his buy-in. This is where you all come in…what should replace it? The other two tanks have better looking bamboo (yes Alan, I do need to fertilize it)…
But I don’t really think I want to go that route here. What do YOU recommend? In the high summer this area gets direct sunlight until about 2 pm, and then it’s shady for the rest of the day. I’d like something that is relatively fast growing and evergreen. Whatever is growing here does need to act as a screening device as there is an boring wooden fence behind it (not ours) that's about 6ft tall, then a couple feet of open space (where you can look right into the neighbors back porch and family room windows), then laurel (which is also not ours). The only idea I've come up with so far is Ceanothus 'Dark Star', I like how the dark leaves would recede, and other then when it's in full glorious bloom, it would kind of disappear and just provide a neutral background for the plants and containers on the patio.
Of course if you want to council me to keep the bamboo I’ll need to hear a method for rehabbing it. Please help, I can't wait to hear your ideas...
All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.