Bamboo Planting

Seattle Bamboo rarely plants bamboo. It isn't that we don't know the best way to do it — it's that planting bamboo well is a promise to maintain it, and most property owners don't want to hire someone to keep that promise. Bamboo that is planted and then left alone is precisely the bamboo we later get called to remove.

Is Bamboo Right for Your Garden?

Residential gardens are often not the best place for bamboo. Yes, it makes a fast privacy screen. Yes, it adds a texture nothing else offers, and it sounds wonderful in a windstorm, and it fills a narrow space quickly — unlike most evergreens.

Space, though, is the key. Many property owners have only two or three feet of room — along a path, beside the house, between a fence and the lawn. A running bamboo does not recognize that as its boundary. Underground, the rhizomes go looking for what they need: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, and oxygen. They will travel well past your three feet to find it, and into a neighbor's yard if that is where the soil is open.

Plant It Right, or Not at All

Bamboo can be planted beautifully and responsibly — in the right species for the space, with proper containment, and with a maintenance plan from the first day. Done that way, it is one of the most rewarding plants in the Northwest. Done casually, it becomes a decade-long problem for you or whoever owns the property next.

Our Planting Consultation

We offer a fee-based consulting service for those who want to plant bamboo the right way. We'll help you choose the species, assess the site and its containment needs, and set out the maintenance the grove will require to stay where you put it. And we have excellent references for planters who do this work well.

If you're considering bamboo, talk to us before you plant — it is far cheaper than talking to us after. Get in touch and we'll help you decide.