Arundinaria Gigantea (Canebrake) 5 years later

I first inquired about this plant on the invasive forum about 5 years ago. I went back to that thread to followup with a photo of my canebrake. Someone suggested that I share my success on this forum. I purchased my 3 plants from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery. Right away, the dog ate 1 plant leaving 2 survivors that were slow to take off because of the drier summers. One year, we had a wet spell and the canebrake took off. It's not hard to contain and I like that it's evergreen. I'm in zone 6 which recently went from 6a to 6b. The leaves do get a little burn on the tips in the wintertime, but it still looks very nice. Here's a few photos. The first 4 were taken last weekend on Groundhog Day. The yellow rose photo was taken a summer or 2 ago.

Actually, the photos above with the snow were taken last Sunday, 2/3/13. I'm a day off.

Very nice - handsome foil and ornamentation for the pets.

Thank you. The cats like it too.

Try Arundinaria tecta. It is very good at making a large groundcover.

Will that grow in zone 6?

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARGIT8

It should be as hardy as A. gigantea.

Here's the hardiness map for canebrake. It's hardy in my zone. Thanks for suggesting the other, but I'm quite happy with my bamboo. It has met my expectations completely.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=argi

Nice work! What would you consider the rate of spread for just two plants?

It took a few years for the canebrake to get established. Once we had a good rainy season, it took off.

Nice, green.

Most of the bamboos "sit" for a couple of years and I think it's the third year when they really begin to take off growing and spreading. "First year, they sleep - second year, they creep - third year, they leap" is the old saying (for this and a lot of other things).

Where did you get your Arundinaria?

Missouri Wildflowers Nursery

http://www.mowildflowers.net/

Cville, what you said about the 3 years makes sense. I also saw that in my periwinkle.

I forget where I picked up that saying Carole, but I used it a lot to explain plant growth and development to customers in retail. A lot of people become disappointed when something doesn't take off immediately and I try to level expectations so they won't give up.

I have some Equisetum which I don't know anything about, but it's in a container given to me by a friend. We also have stands of bamboo in this neighborhood that are not native. I don't suspect I will try it here Greenbrain, but it looks like a good one to try if you have the room. Nice also that it's evergreen for you.

My canebrake did get some tip burn this past winter, but it'll shape up again. I see that Missouri Wildflower is currently out of stock on this bamboo. I had to wait for mine to become available. This is one nursery that you can call and receive friendly personable advice and service. I stopped in at this nursery while on my way back from visiting my in-laws & enjoyed visiting their scenic rural location.