Yes we are heading to Murrumbateman

Bamboo Creations are going to Murrumbateman

Very exciting news. We had originally removed Murrumbateman from our list of markets and expos.  Due to popular demand we have now decided to attend this excellent event.  We will now be taking our van full of bamboo products up to Canberra.

The Murrumbateman field days event is run over 2 days from the 17th to the 18th of October 2015.  It runs from 8am to 5pm on the Saturday and 8am to 4pm on the Sunday so you will have plenty of time to see it all especially us at Bamboo Creations Victoria.

Murrumbateman is about 30 minutes out of Canberra. Our website has a link to the Murrumbateman event for more information (www.bamboo-plants.com.au/our-markets-and-expos.php#murrumbateman) including details on how to get there.

This is a huge event which is why it is held over 2 days.  There are over 400 exhibitors (including us) and it raises a lot of money for the local community.  Come along and say Hi.

Alphonse Karr

Knowing how your bamboo was propagated.

Be sure you are buying healthy propagated mother stock for true to form bamboo.

Alphonse Karr is a clumping varieties and it is one of the many favourite bamboos. because of its rapid growth, it's beautiful new culms that come out pinkish then turn lemon yellow with green stripes with emerald leaves Perfect for a hedge, Full sun, Frost tolerant, At full height it will get to 4 m high Can be trimmed to any height or thin out by removing canes and bottom leaves so that you can see the beautiful colour canes. Growing habits vase shape.

See shots below from locally grown propagated stock and Alphonse growing nicely in Riddells Creek Victoria  

Alphonse Karr Cutting by Bamboo Creations Nursery 

 Alphonse Karr,

Alphonse Karr June 2012 

Alphonse Karr, Aug 2011

Alphonse Karr, Aug 2011

Alphonse Karr Dec 2007

Alphonse Karr, Aug 2011

Alphonse Karr, May 2008

Big events coming up

Bamboo Creations attending major events

We are getting ready for a couple of big events that are coming up over the next few months.  We will give you more details later but this is just a reminder to put these dates into your calendars.

Mt Macedon

The Mt Macedon plant lovers market is running on the 20th and 21st of September.  This market is held in Mt Macedon at the historic Bolobek and is hosted by the Mt Macedon and District Horticultural Society. The beautiful gardens of the historic homestead are reason enough to visit the market.  You then have many different plant growers and sellers including Bamboo Creations Victoria so the visit to Mt Macedon is a must for every Plant Lover.

Horticultural and Garden Festival

This is a 3 day event (9th - 11th October) held at the Melbourne Showgrounds. The main focus of this event is on Growing, Gardening and Cooking.  There will be many different plant growers and retailers as well as many different speakers and exhibitors.  Another great event to put in your diary.  Will give more details about this one and the Mt Macedon market in coming blog posts.

New Colours for some of our socks

We are always updating our online socks store with new products.  We have recently updated the colours of our business socks and our women's singlets.  Have a look at the exciting new colours available.  We will be reviewing the other products shortly and will have them available for you soon.

New photo gallery category

Frog enjoying our Bamboo at our Nursery

It has been a little while since we last blogged but a lot has been happening.  We have included another photo gallery sub category to show you all the different types of bamboo at our nursery.  This will be added to with lots of different types of bamboo that we stock so keep your eye on this page.  Here is a link to our photo gallery to start you off: www.bamboo-plants.com.au/bamboo-photo-gallery.php.

Bamboo Clothing  

In addition to working on the photo gallery we have been working to add bamboo clothing to our site.  These are all made from high quality bamboo. At this stage we have added a few bamboo tops from warm and snuggly thermal tops (great for this time of year) to long sleeve ruched or scoop neck tops.

Bamboo clothing now on Bamboo Creations website

We will be adding more over the next little while including pants, dresses and other high quality bamboo items. These items can be purchased through our online shopping car.  The best thing about purchasing our items through the shopping cart is the postage.  We are now only charging $6 no matter how many items you purchase.  Have your items delivered to your door for only $6.

Markets and Expos

We have added the latest markets and expos to the left hand side so you can plan when to come and visit us.  There are a couple of special events coming up which we will tell you about soon.

Bamboo Clothing has started on our Website

Bamboo Clothing now available

Bamboo Clothing - Knitwear

We have now altered our website to include bamboo clothing in the online store.  At this stage we only have bamboo knitwear - duster jackets but more are on the way very shortly.

The Bamboo Duster Jacket is a essential light layering piece with an open front, shawl collar, long sleeves and a gently tapered waist to give more shape.  This is made from 95% Bamboo, 3% Cashmere and 2% Wool.

To allow for all the new products that are on the way, we have changed the navigation for our website.  There is now an option called products which will list all the different products that are available.  This will therefore grow over the coming weeks so keep your eye on our site. (Note if your do not see this correctly then try and refresh your webpage using the curly arrow on your address bar at the top of the screen).


Next Market

Our next market that we are attending is at Berwick on the 28th June so would love to see you there.
 

Pruning Bamboo

Pruning Bamboo

Winter is the best time to prune your bamboo.  Be careful, however, not to prune your bamboo until it has become more established. It generally takes about 3 to 5 growing seasons for it to become established.  The time it takes for your bamboo to become established will depend on several factors: planted area, species, climate, water or moisture, sunlight, soil and nutrients.

Pruning your bamboo will help its overall health. The health of your plant will be improved by preventing overpopulation of canes and the removal of older canes that have reached the end of their life cycle. Canes can last for about 8 years so removing the older canes will create more room for new growth. 

Bamboo can be sculptured or hedged to any height.  Once the plant has reached the desired height then prune the tops off.  This can be achieved by either carefully pulling the canes down or by using a tool like a brush-cutter.

Preaching bamboo is a technique of lining up your plants and then removing the bottom leaves. This gives a bare look at the bottom of the plant with a full bushy look at the top.   This looks stunning as an ornamental feature to your garden. You can remove the leaves to any height to give whatever look you desire.

Pruning can be achieved using Pruning Shears, Hand/Garden saw or Reciprocating Saw.

Bamboo in Pots

Bamboo can be grown in pots as well as in the ground. They can make great ornaments for a balcony or courtyard without the need to have a garden bed. People have also used planter boxes to create a bamboo screen.

Choosing the right pot for your bamboo is just as important as choosing the right bamboo for your situation.  Bamboo is quite shallow rooted so would prefer a shallow pot.  This can also aid in keeping the bamboo and the pot more stable.  With a shallow pot the weight is lower so will be more stable in higher winds.

If you are using the bamboo in the pot to provide a little privacy then a running bamboo may be better.  Running bamboo seems to grow higher in a pot than a clumping type of bamboo.  We can always assist you to decide the best type of bamboo for your situation.

As with most plants in pots, bamboo will eventually become root bound. Like you need to do with other plants, you will need to either re-pot the bamboo into a larger pot or divide the bamboo. This will need to be done approximately every 4-5 years depending on the bamboo chosen. The quicker the bamboo grows (which is great for your privacy) the quicker it will become root bound. Don't forget to put your bamboo into your pot plant watering regime.  Bamboo need to keep moist so water on a regular basis.

As with any bamboo situation, if you are unsure about the type of bamboo that is appropriate for your situation then either email us at info@bamboo-plants.com.au or give us a call on 1300 654 454.