General
- Where are you based?
- We are based in the gorgeous sub tropical, historic garden of Landsendt in Oratia, West Auckland. .
- Where can we see the plants?
- You are welcome to come to the nursery, which is located in the gorgeous sub tropical, historic garden of Landsendt in Oratia, West Auckland. Please contact Mark to make an appointment.
- Do you deliver?
- Yes, we can send bamboo plants to nearly the whole of New Zealand.If you're an Auckland you are welcome to visit the nursery. If not get in touch for a quote to deliver your plants to your door. Please look at the delivery charges here.
Bamboo Variety choice
- We live in a very exposed site. Will bamboo be OK here?
- Yes, bamboo is fine in strong winds. Some of the leaves may strip off in extremely strong winds, but they will grow back quite quickly. The beauty of bamboo is that it bends in the wind. Therefore, they don't tend to snap. larger leaved varieties suffer more from high winds.
- Do bamboos drop leaves?
- Bamboos are not deciduous however, at certain times of the year they can drop some leaves. This is minimized if you manage your clump by regularly taking out the older canes to allow new canes space to grow. Some varieties drop more lives than others. Doli has minimal lift drop so is great around swimming pools.
- Will bamboo grow in the cold or frosty areas?
- Yes, the varieties we sell grow down to about minus four degrees celsius. Prolonged strong cold winds might knock them back a bit. Click to view Our Plants
- How do I decide which variety would be best for main circumstances?
- The main variable is the final mature heights? It makes sense to plant the right variety for your space so you don't have to prune the tops. That is, unless you want a clipped Hedge look. other than that the decision is mainly aesthetic. What leaf size, cane colour, overall look do you prefer? Click to view Our Plants
- Should I be buying the tallest plant?
- Not necessarily. What you are buying is future growth. The important thing is what is in the bag. All those rhizomes will be what power the plant in the following years. The top growth is great for immediate screening, but to fill the area you want with lush greenery, buy the biggest bag you can. height at purchase is no indication of the future final height of the variety. Click to view Our Plants
Why bamboo / planting
- Isn't bamboo invasive?
- Some varieties are very invasive and should be avoided. These are the running bamboos. Jungle Flora only sells clumping bamboos and they are not invasive or spreading. They will slowly grow outwards where originally planted but only a few inches a year and this can be minimized by a simple board placed edge down into the ground to stop the rhizomes from going in that direction. or they can simply be kicked over. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- Can it grow in sandy/clay/wet soils?
- Bamboo is very versatile and can grow in most conditions. It's not very fussy however best growth will come from planting into a good garden mix that is friable and can hold moisture. Most soils can be improved with the addition of various ingredients depending on what you start with. For instance, Sandy soils will need some clay. Clay soils could do with some pumice. And very wet soils would benefit from some drainage. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- How well does bamboo grow in salty conditions?
- We live on the beach. Salt itself does not bother bamboo. However, strong prolonged salty cold winds might be a problem. You simply get more leaf drop. Sandy soils it will benefit from being improved with the addition of a good garden mix. Watering is vitally important in sandy soils. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- How quickly will my bamboo grow?
- Bamboo will about a meter or two in height per year until it reaches the full height for that variety. So even starting from a very small plant, it should reach its full height in 3-4 years. But for quicker results start with a larger plant. Click to view Our Plants
- Does my bamboo need to be contained?
- Bamboo clumping bamboo won't spread like running bamboo. However, if contained in a small area, it can mount up as it grows over the years. This can be minimized by taking out the old canes from the centre, giving the new shoots space to grow. Using boards dug into the ground helps direct the growth to where you want it. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- How far apart should I be planting my bamboo?
- Follow the spacing advice on the website for your variety. Plant spacing is a balance between time and cost. If you're in a hurry, plant them closer together. Eventually you won't be able to tell where the original plants were spaced as they will all grow into each other and become one. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- Do I need to feed my plants?
- Yes, good feeding and watering are essential for maximum slowly. Slow release fertilizer is good such as Osmocote or any good general garden fertilizer.
- How soon will I get a lush green screen?
- In 18 months you should have a good screen. Bamboo growth is like compound interest:. Each rhizome can produce 1-3 new shoots per year. So growth accelerates dramatically every year. The new shoots will increase in diameter each year and every subsequent cane will be taller than the previous ones until the full height for that variety in those conditions is reached.
- How long will my bamboo last?
- Your bamboo as a whole screen will just keep going as long as it has sufficient water and nutrients. Individual canes can die off after about 7 to 10 years and these can be cut out to keep it looking nice and fresh. Very rarely, certain bamboo species can flower all around the world at the same time. When this happens the plant will most probably weaken and possibly die. There is nothing that can be done about this. However none of the varieties sold by Jungle Flora have been known to flower
- Do I have to water my bamboo?
- Yes, bamboo will always benefit from good watering. If planted in the summer water daily for the 1st month. A good deep watering is best. Once it has established a bit twice weekly watering will be good if dry. A good way to do this is to lay down some soak hose at the time of planting. Then it's a simple matter of turning the tap on for ten minutes or so. Learn how to care for bamboos.
- Will my bamboo get any pests?
- Bamboo is very resilient and in New Zealand there are very few pests which attack it. There is a caterpillar which attacks running bamboos but these don't seem to affect clumping bamboos. If grown indoors you might get spider mite if the environment is very dry. Other than that, they are quite robust. Learn how to care for bamboos.