| Bamboos are extraordinary in the ability to transform a garden, adapt to inhospitable surroundings, survive with little care and, most of all, surprise and delight the people who view them. Too long the exclusive pleasure of those with tropical and subtropical gardens, this hand-picked selection allows gardeners in cooler climes to experience the wonder and infinite variety of these magical plants. 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. |
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 The best |
| Review Date: November 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gary Mcphee, |
I checked this book out of the library so many time I just decided to buy it.
If you live any where in zones 4 to 8 as I do you will love this book on bamboo. |
Highly Recommended
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Hathcock, Ohio |
| An excellent book, left me hungry for more from Mr. Whittaker, though the book is by no means lacking in content. I'm fairly new to growing bamboo and I found this book an easy to understand resource for identifying and selecting species. Paul doesn't get too deep into botanical detail to lose the layman but still covers important technical terms relating to bamboos. The fact that he has personal experience growing most of what he describes and first hand experience with the others, lends credibility to his writing. Great photos and illustrations as well. As the cover says, Hardy Bamboos; not a book that covers species that don't do well below around zone 7; Paul lives and grows in eastern England. |
All you need to know about growing bamboos in cool climates
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| Review Date: March 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Neményi András, Hungary |
| The author is one of those true bamboo experts, with lots of hands on growing experience under a cool British climate. The excellent photography, good descriptions, and many personal observations make this book so unique among the other, often repetitious books on bamboo. If you live in USDA Plant Hardiness zone 6 or cooler, this is your best book! |
Best hardy bamboo book out there.
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| Review Date: February 21, 2008 |
| Reviewer: James D. Parsons, San Diego CA |
I find this book to be the most entertaining and informative book for the bamboo hobbyist available with respect to cooler climate species. Paul breaks each species down for the reader from a VERY experienced but non-scientific perspective. He gives you a personal insight into each plant that will greatly help you know what to expect from a new plant and better understand the plants you may already have. He writes with a smooth and poetic style. You learn from this book more like you would from a personal conversation as opposed to a lecture.
Keep in mind that his experience is from the UK so his information is best for those in similar climates. These plants will not behave as he would describe in very dissimilar climates.
Not to be left out is the best bamboo photography in any book ever. |
Informative and fun to read
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| Review Date: December 4, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Galicic, |
| If all authors paid as much attention to detail and organization as much as Paul Whittaker does in Hardy Bamboos, I would read a lot more books! His book balances being an encyclopedia and being a hand-held, fun-to-read book perfectly. If you are interested in growing hardy bamboos, you will be impressed with this book. |
Hardy bamboo... for Alaska??
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| Review Date: October 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Ann K. Hupe, |
Absolutely!!!
I grew up in Southern California, and my favorite gardens had beautiful bamboo. I now live in Alaska, and had thought I would never ever be able to grow bamboo here in the Kenai Peninsula, until I somehow ran across this book while surfing on Amazon.
The author reminded me that even in China, there are areas with the same climate as Kenai, and now I'm in the process of tracking down plants to relocate. And considering that I have a protected inner courtyard, I might be able to squeak a few Zone 7's, too.
This is an amazing resource! If one could only buy one book, this would be it -- it has everything regarding growing these mammoth plants, plus the author's enthusiasm for these plants is very contagious. |
The Best Bamboo Book.
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| Review Date: July 21, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Proctor, Eugene, OR |
| The best bamboo book period. Wonderful pictures, excellent categorizing. I have several other bamboo books and this is by far the best. |
Entertaining read, and good info too!
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| Review Date: May 24, 2007 |
| Reviewer: David Pope, Bay Area, CA |
This book is surprisingly interesting to read, mostly because of anecdotes that the author includes--Paul Whittaker's self deprecating sense of humor makes you interested in meeting him in person.
The things that I appreciated the most about the book, outside of the easy going, easy to read nature of the book:
1. Characterization of the exhaustive list of bamboos included the spreading habit of the plant--how wide the bamboo would get in 10 years. This is great info for those of us who have to worry about containing bamboo...
2. Great pencil drawings of the nature of the bamboo--density of culms, upright vs. fountain appearance. It gave a sense of what the plant might look like in the yard.
3. Great pictures, including close-ups of leaves, and branches in addition to the typical photos of culms.
4. It gave me a better appreciation of the branching characteristics of bamboo families, which presumably has some relation to the density of leaves associated with a plant.
This is the book that I would read over and over again if I were trying to decide which bamboo to plant, or even if I were dreaming about getting a bamboo in the future. |
Hardy Bamboo Taming the Dragon
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| Review Date: May 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Neel, Carmel, CA, USA |
| Wonderful book. Well written, very helpful information--both general and species specific. Also beautiful, color photographs. Nicely organized, and even the sketches of growth habit I found to be very helpful. |
Hardy Bamboos: Taming the Dragon
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| Review Date: March 9, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Richard J. Schock, North Carolina |
| Excellent photos, clear and concise descriptions, well organized, just a super book for the beginner or advanced bamboo grower or enthusiast. |
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