Joseph Scheer has been designing, producing, and marketing his bamboo creations for almost twenty years. With a thorough background in science, he has been a teacher, researcher, technician, and inventor, as well as a builder, contractor, sailor, and artist. He has built, furnished, and now markets a bamboo-appointed vacation home in Rincon, Puerto Rico.

Besieged by winter wet, summer drought and bitter, drying winds, Paul Whittaker’s garden has been a rigorous testing ground. In the first part of the book his compelling anecdotes, experiences and case histories illuminate how bamboos perform in different places, draw attention to their idiosyncratic nature, and highlight their geographical origins. A further section describes the bamboo’s unique physical structure and growing habits. These fascinating insights give you the knowledge you need to choose the right bamboo for your site and grow it successfully.

At the heart of the book are detailed plant descriptions that join with striking photographs and evocative illustrations to highlight each plant’s characteristics. Culms available in all the colors of the rainbow may also be striped, grooved, wrinkled or knobbled. Leaves range from glaucous needles to huge plates of deep green with striking variegations. There are bamboos perfect for creating shady groves and hedges, and others that deserve stand-alone treatment as specimen plants. Here you will find everything from the elegant, willowy Fargesia rufa to the bold, tropical looks of Sasa palamata f. nebulosa. Using bamboos to best effect in the garden, propagation, aftercare and their resilience to pests and diseases complete the guidance for gardeners.

The distillation of years of hands-on growing experience, this is the ultimate bamboo reference book for cool-climate gardeners. Enthusiasts will delight in the variety of new possibilities for their collection and gardeners everywhere will be captivated by the charm bamboos bring to countless different garden situations.

Bamboo expert Ted Jordan Meredith provides a thorough and multifaceted treatment of these ancient grasses, including insight into selecting the right plant for the right situation. The bulk of the book is an encyclopedia of bamboo genera, species, and cultivars. More than 300 bamboos from 40 genera are described in detail, including information on size, lighting and temperature requirements, native range, physical characteristics, and landscape and other uses. Excellent color photos and clear line drawings effectively illustrate both the details and broader effects of these exquisite plants.