Sacred bamboo

Sacred bamboo: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright evergreen clump 1–2 m tall and about 1 m wide.

Leaf

Alternate, up to 50 cm long, two to three times pinnate with narrow, pointed, untoothed leaflets (3–10 cm); red when young, often red to purple in winter.

Stems

Upright, sparsely branched, cane-like stems.

Flower

Large clusters of small white flowers with yellow stamens, in June–July.

Fruit

Clusters of glossy red berries in autumn and winter; poisonous.

Difference from bamboo

Bamboo has true grass stems with nodes and simple, long leaves.

Difference from Oregon grape

Oregon grape has once-pinnate, spiny leaves and yellow flowers.

Flowering: June–July · Pruning: March–April

Identify by feature: Pinnate leaves · Red berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Bamboo Phyllostachys: true grass stems with nodes and simple, long leaves. Difference from bamboo
• Oregon grape Berberis aquifolium: once-pinnate, spiny leaves and yellow flowers. Difference from Oregon grape

Why grow it?

• Colour in every season: red young leaves, white flowers, red berries and red to purple winter foliage.
• Evergreen and slender: fits into a small garden, a narrow border or a large pot.
• The airy look of bamboo, but a compact clump that only spreads slowly.
• Little work: remove a few old stems once a year.

Sacred bamboo: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; in sun the foliage colours best and it sets the most berries.
• Ordinary, well-drained garden soil that does not dry out; no waterlogging in winter.
• Ideally sheltered from cold easterly winds, so the foliage stays better in winter.
• Allow about 1 m width.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

1.5 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Japanese maple: Fine leaves and fiery autumn colour in the same light shade: together an East Asian corner.
• Japanese skimmia: Evergreen, with red buds or berries in winter, for the same partial shade.
• Winter heath: Low ground cover with pink winter flowers beneath the red stems.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Sacred bamboo: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from a pot in spring (April–May), so it is well rooted before winter.
2. Dig a generous planting hole and mix in some compost or leaf mould.
3. Plant at the same depth as in the pot and water generously.
4. In a pot: use a large pot with a drainage hole and good compost, and move it against the house in hard frost.

Care

Watering

Regularly in the first year; after that during long dry spells, and always in a pot.

Feeding

A little compost in spring; in a pot, some slow-release fertiliser.

Mulch

A layer of leaf mould or wood chips keeps the soil moist and protects the roots from frost.

Berries

Leave them for decoration, but keep an eye on children and pets (see caution).

Tip: Plant it where you can see it from the house, ideally with low sunlight falling on it: the red winter foliage glows when there is little other colour in the garden.

Sacred bamboo: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April.

When: In March–April.

How:

• Every year, cut a few of the oldest stems off at ground level; this keeps it bushy and makes it sprout from the base.
• Never remove more than a third of the stems in one year.
• Cut frost-damaged or dead stem tips back to healthy wood.

Caution: Do not shear it with a hedge trimmer: it will lose its airy shape. Clear up the prunings, as the stems and leaves are poisonous too.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In spring, take a piece with a few stems and roots from the edge of an older clump and plant it separately.

Cuttings

Semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer root slowly, under glass or plastic.

Sacred bamboo: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• No problem in an ordinary winter. In hard frost the leaves can turn brown or drop and stems may be killed back; it usually resprouts from the base in spring.
• Winter is when it looks its best: red to purple foliage and red berries that often hang on for a long time.
• A plant in a pot is more vulnerable: move it against the house or wrap the pot in hard frost.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: Brown leaves or dead stem tips after a severe winter. Wait until April, then cut back to healthy wood.
• Few berries: Too little sun or a cool summer means fewer flowers and berries. Compact forms such as ‘Fire Power’ rarely flower: grow those for their foliage.
• Yellow leaves: On wet, poorly drained soil the roots rot and the leaves turn yellow. Plant in a well-drained spot.
• Bare base: If old stems are never removed, the clump becomes bare at the bottom. Rejuvenate it over a few years, a third at a time.

Through the year

• January: Winter colour and berries; protect pots in hard frost.
• March: Pruning: cut the oldest stems off at ground level.
• April: Last pruning month: remove frost-damaged tips; plant.
• May: Plant; give a little compost.
• June: Flowering begins: clusters of small white flowers.
• July: Flowering; water in dry spells.
• October: The berries turn red.
• November: The foliage turns red to purple.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Evergreen shrub with colour in every season; suits small gardens and pots.

Caution: All parts are poisonous, and the berries are poisonous to birds too. In the south-eastern United States it is invasive.

Did you know?

• Not a bamboo, but a relative of barberry and mahonia: only the cane-like stems are reminiscent of bamboo.
• In Japan it is called nanten, which sounds like ‘turning misfortune around’. That is why it is often planted by the front door there.
• In the United States, cedar waxwings have died after gorging on the berries.