Although bamboo is most often thought of as wood, it is a type of grass and not a tree at all. There are about 1,450 species of this plant that can be found in many areas of the world in climatic conditions that range from tropically hot to outright cold. Some of these bamboo species can grow more than three feet in one day and all of them have the ability to reach full height within one growing season. This makes bamboo one of the most ecologically sound and renewable resources we have available to us. I found this intriguing and wanted to learn more, so I set out to do a bit of research on the plant itself.
Many of us may know bamboo for one quality or another. As a child, I recall adults lamenting that they had to chop it down every year, which I thought, in my ignorance, was an exaggeration. I've personally used bamboo skewers to protect new transplants in my garden from my cat, Oreo, who so loves to dig in anything I've mulched. I simply press the skewers in at three inch intervals until the plant is able to establish itself.
There are those who may eat bamboo in one of our Asian cuisines, have a musical instrument made from it, or might simply use it to skewer our shish kabob on it. I believe that bamboo is truly much more interesting than that!
Some of the more common uses for bamboo are in landscaping for fast growing shade, by the Chinese for medicinal purposes and to make flexible fishing poles. There are yet more uses that I was unaware of until my recent research, which include bicycles made from bamboo, water filtration to remove salt from sea water, furniture items, cabinets and flooring. It can even be used to make an incredibly soft fabric for wearing apparel that people compare to cashmere! It would seem that bamboo usage comes with a flexibility rarely seen in the manufacturing world.
We would like to introduce you to Backyard Xscapes whose goal it is, "to provide consumers and retailers with the finest in eco-friendly outdoor décor". They do offer a wonderfully large variety of products to spice up your yard and garden. You can find it all from arbors and bird baths to umbrellas and water resistant televisions. They also have a whole section of products listed under the bamboo heading including borders, fencing and rugs to name a few, so be sure to take a look!
