Bamboos

This was purchased to replace a Bamboo book my mother lost in Katrina. She loves it!

Before Michael Bell's book, "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Temperate Bamboos," was published early in 2000, for many years "Bamboos" by Christine Recht and Max Wetterwald was the only fully color photo illustrated volume on growing and landscaping with bamboo that was readily available in the United States. Originally translated from the German, it remains one of the best guides not only for the excellent photographs but also for the charming text. "Bamboos" has sections on bamboo types (clumping and running) and basic morphology, practical chapters on how to plant, care for and limit the growth of bamboo, an encyclopedic section listing bamboos by species, qualities, climate, and requirements, and specialist chapters on such niceties as growing bamboo in containers and using them in bonsai. There are a couple of captions in the book that are applied to the wrong photographs, and some of the information given is occasionally contradicted in newer texts, as knowledge of this wonderful plant continues to evolve. However, these differences are very minor and do not detract from the value of this book, which remains a solid reference for identifying and growing bamboos. It is a visually beautiful book as well, useful for looking up pictures of the different types of bamboo while going through a mail-order nursery's catalog of available plants, and for imagining how different types might complement your garden, terrace or patio. For anyone who is even thinking about planting bamboo, this book is essential reading.

Still one of the most visual works on bamboo, originally translated from a German book, "Bamboo"s, by Christine Recht & Max F. Wetterwald, is wonderfully filled with color pictures of many bamboo species, and the black and white drawings are very clear, especially in explaining the paticulars of both running, and non invasive varieties. The individual description's are compact, yet informative, leaving room for a large volume of cultivars, with a general introduction to each type first. I counted more than 85 species, 34 of which are the popular Phyllostachys. The book is of good manufacture, and my hardback is still in great shape.