Note from Bamboo Headquarters: The following is an entry from our 2007 Bamboo Garden Contest. We supplied this entry with its own post because they supplied so many great photos!

This is a picture of my youngest daughter hanging out in the family bamboo collection visible are a contained specimen of Phyllostachys aureosucata aureocalis and a Fargesia rufa.

This is a picture of my youngest daughter with a Fargesia rufa that was purchased last year as a one gallon plant and planted one week after she was born.

This picture shows more of the bamboo garden with Sasaella masumanea albostriata, and Fargesia rufa with hostas and cannas.

A closeup of the Phyllostachys aureosucata aureocalis

A closeup of Sasaella masumanea albostriata.

I currently own 13 species of bamboo not all of them are planted in my bamboo garden. I have been growing bamboo since 2004. I have some growing in my vegetable garden and many of them are growing in pots.

Note from Bamboo Headquarters: The following is an entry from our 2007 Bamboo Garden Contest. We supplied this entry with its own post because they supplied so many great photos!

The best way to present the garden is with some before/after photos showing the dramatic growth. All seven species of bamboo were planted in the first few days of March 2007. The final photos are in the last few weeks of July (five months of growth).

Below is the planted pot of f. robusta, and p. nigra ‘henon’ on the right. You can see the f. rufa on the far left:

Same plants in July (5 months of growth):

On the opposite side (west facing wall) an interleaving pattern of p. b. Castillon, and Castillon ‘Inversa’:

Same plants in July:

Along the garage, a row of p. nigra ‘black’ was planted, along with Himalayacalamus falconeri ‘Damarapa’ flanking the fountain:

Same plants this July:

Along with the ‘Damarapa’ some Himalayacalamus Hookerianus ‘Blue’ was planted along the back north-facing wall:

Same plant this July:

Close up of ‘Damarapa’

Still waiting for the blue culms on the hookerianus… must have patience.

Note from Bamboo Headquarters: The following is an entry from our 2007 Bamboo Garden Contest. We supplied this entry with its own post because they supplied so many great photos!

We live in the Uptown area of New Orleans where houses were built within inches of property lines. The adage “Good fences make good neighbors” defines our neighborhood.

We lost our planting of hollies as well as our fence during hurricane Katrina. The hollies never really did that well in the narrow space we had along the driveway and often had gaps in the foliage where we needed coverage the most.

As our neighbor’s windows look directly into our house we needed something to offer us some badly needed privacy in a hurry. Zoning restrictions limit us to a 7 foot fence height but a “living fence” has no restrictions.

We decided to plant Alphonse Karr along the fence in August of 2006 and could not be more pleased with the result. The first picture was taken in September of 2006, the second one the following April, the third in July and the last two on August 1st.

We love this bamboo!

Linda F

We are excited to announce OUR first annual Bamboo Headquarters Garden contest! We encourage you to Submit photos of your garden, patio, balcony, or even if bamboo is not the primary focus of the garden! We will be posting all of the entries on our website and our staff will pick the final winners! Prizes are as follows:

• 1st Place: Four 1 gallon bamboo plants, appropriately suited for your zone
• 2nd Place: One 1 gallon bamboo plant, appropriately suited for your zone
• 5 “Runners” Up will receive Bamboo Headquarters T-shirts and bumper stickers!

If you would like to enter, for a chance at prizes, please follow the instructions below:

1. To enter via e-mail please submit an e-mail via our Contact Form that includes:
   1. Your name
   2. Your location
   3. And a short description of your gardening project
2. To enter via regular mail, please mail us a letter with the following information:
   1. Your name
   2. Your location
   3. A photo (or set of photos) of your bamboo garden
   4. And a short description of your gardening project
   5. Mail to: Bamboo Headquarters Gardening Contest, 2498 Majella Rd, Vista, CA 92084

All entries are eligible for prizes, and this contest ends August 31st, 2007, so hurry and submit your entries today. Unfortunately we can only ship to 47 continental states (Plants can not be shipped to Florida without a $50 inspection charge) but we would still love to see your bamboo gardening project!

We have our first entries! Click here to check them out!