On a visit to Auburn Botanic Garden last month (Read this post to know more), I saw a lovely stand of three different species of bamboo. One of them was ghost bamboo, or Dendrocalamus minor var amoenus. I don’t know that much about bamboo, mainly because I don’t grow any at home, or care for any at work, so I thought it would be a good thing to know more about this species.
This particular variety of the straight species (which is Dendrocalamus minor), is a littler smaller and termed ‘more ornamental’, probably meaning it looks a little better in your garden. If I’m honest, I can’t tell much of a difference looking on the internet at pictures-they both look really good. As for being ’smaller’, the difference of a couple of metres doesn’t mean much when it can reach ten metres tall. That isn’t a criticism of the plant, more a thing against marketing hype written by nurseries.
Ghost bamboo is a clumping bamboo that is native to the tropical areas of south-east Asia, including the countries of Myanmar, India and Thailand. I’ve also read that it also grows in Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou in the south of China. On reading about the ghost bamboo, some sources say that it is drought tolerant, but other sources say it has low drought tolerance. As the ghost bamboo it is a plant from the tropics, it thrives in conditions that are hot and humid, so I would personally edge towards the less drought tolerant end of the scale-but I’d be happy if it proved me wrong! Soils need to be consistently moist with plenty of organic matter, to help get the best growth from the ghost bamboo. Do bear that in mind when choosing a bamboo to grow-there will be other bamboos that are more suited to temperate climate conditions. Full sun to part shade is the preferred level of light for this bamboo.
What does it look like? The rather tall culms are green top ten metres tall. The mature diameter of the culms is around eight centimetres. Younger culms have a white powder-like coating on them , which gives this bamboo its common name. It is only on the top quarter of the culm where the leaves appear. The leaves are large. I can’t find much information on the flowers at all, and I didn’t see any on the plants I saw on my garden visit, so I cannot comment on them!
In a garden setting, the ghost gum can be used as a screen or privacy hedge due to its height. It’s also good as a windbreak and can provide some shade. Do plant this bamboo in the ground rather than in pots as it does a lot better within the ground.
Propagating this bamboo can be done through dividing the rootball. Provided that the ghost bamboo is getting grown in the right conditions, mentioned above, it is prone to few pests and diseases, which is good. When first planted, water every couple of days for a couple of months, to help it get established. If the soil is full of organic matter, and if compost is added to the soil yearly in spring, then fertiliser shouldn’t be needed. If not, add some slow release fertiliser in spring, to help it come back into growth after slowing down in winter.
The question for the day is would I have it in my garden? Probably not. This is because it isn’t really my sort of plant. It looks good and could be a ‘feature plant’ in a lot of gardens, but just not mine. It is a worthy plant in the right context.
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77102237-1
https://bamboosouthcoast.com.au/plant-info/white-ghost-bamboo/
https://www.livingbamboo.com.au/plants/dendrocalamus-minor-var-amoenus
https://www.bambunusaverde.com/product-page/dendrocalamus-minor-amoenus
https://www.pslbg.org/angel-mist-bamboo/