Let the light in: much-needed bamboo thinning taming

The three clumping bamboos in the front yard (all of them Bambusa species) are happy and healthy even on a much less generous watering regime than in the old days before the drought. That, in turn, makes me happy because I love the lushness they contribute to our garden.

For most of the year, I just let the 'boos do their thing. In the winter, however, when the sun is low in the sky, it becomes obvious how much the Asian lemon bamboo (Bambusa eutuldoides 'Viridi-vittata') shades the smaller succulent mound. Take a look at the photo below to see what I mean.

The Asian lemon bamboo is a fairly dense clump of culms and leaves:

It looks great, but it creates more shade than the other plants need or want.

Now that curbside yard material collection has been reduced to once a month here in Davis, we try to do heavy-duty pruning and similar chores on the weekend before the monthly pickup. That way we can chop to our heart's content and simply pile the trimmings in the gutter instead of trying to shove everything into the yard waste bin.

Sunday afternoon was dry so Heather and I tackled the Asian lemon bamboo. I ended up being a bit more aggressive than I had set out to be, but there'll be plenty of new growth before we know it. Here is the after photo:

Moving in a little closer—before:

And after:

The difference is like night and day. I think this bamboo is even more beautiful when the culms are spaced farther apart.

Here's the pile in the gutter:

What we removed and what's left (behind the street light):

Since more rain was imminent, I worked as fast as I could. This resulted in ragged and unsightly "stumps." Making everything look pretty will be a chore for a warmer day.

© Gerhard Bock, 2019. All rights reserved. No part of the materials available through www.succulentsandmore.com may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of Gerhard Bock. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States and international copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Gerhard Bock. 

If you are reading this post on a website other than www.succulentsandmore.com, please be advised that that site is using my content without my permission. Please report such unlawful use to me at gerhard[AT]succulentsandmore[DOT]com. Thank you!