Bamboo

We had loads which came from next door under the fence! We just pull as much as we can ea h year and enjoy what comes back. It is now confined to a back corner and looks ok.

JCB might do it? Or give in and get a panda?

An elderly (now deceased) neighbour had a whole forest of it along the foot of his garden and when the new owners moved in they had to get a "mini digger" in to clear it.

We have it to hide the shed. Every autumn -about now - we cut back unwanted growth works OK and it is evergreen so always something swaying on the wind. Depending on how much rain over a season depends on how tall it grows.

We had some that came from the next door garden. We couldn't fathom out what it was until it had grown quite big. It did take a lot of digging but eventually we got rid of it.

I went through a phase where I was obsessed with bamboo and all things Japanese gardening, so I planted three in my smallish garden. Big mistake. One was a fairly compact variety, but the other two weren't and they rampaged out of control very quickly. I would spend ages in amongst them, cutting them back (at any moment expecting to meet an ancient Japanese soldier who hadn't realised the war was over!). DH would dig out large chunks to reduce their size and eventually we did get rid of one, but it was such a task he refused to tackle the others. We sold the house instead . The house sold again recently and I noticed from the estate agent's online photo of the garden that they had got rid of them - in fact, they had got rid of everything and what was my lovely garden was just a sanitised expanse of grass. Each. To his own I suppose.

I have two in very large pots standing on slate in my easy care back garden and have this year had two planted in soil to provide a screen between next door and us but I am keeping a close eye on them. They are proving a very attractive barrier at the moment.

Thank you so much for your helpful replies. Ours has crept under our fence and into our neighbour's garden. We have apologised, but they say they like it . There is not enough to justify a mini digger, but too much for our feeble efforts.
Pots would have been the best idea Annsixty. Or buying the stuff which forms clumps. I do like the look of it, but it pops up everywhere.

I have to say that I still love to see bamboo, and liked the whisper of a breeze through the stems. Useful for garden canes too! But no, I wouldn't grow them again!

A word of warning re potted bamboo! I also love to see it swaying in the wind and 7 years ago planted two large specimens in beautiful blue bulbous plant pots!

This year I decided they needed repotting, the roots had grown to fill the pots. Due to the round shape of the pots they were very difficult to remove, despite cutting the roots down. I'm sure DH and I looked very comical each tugging the end of an 8ft bamboo!

We eventually freed them and replanted in conical pots, so they will be easier to replant next time. Which is unlikely to happen as I'm leaving them when we move!
x

I love bamboos, we have three, but the clump forming ones which are easy to control.I suppose with invasive ones, simply cut down regularly when you see the spears spreading.

Ah huh Bamboo. Yes we inherited bamboo that was probably planted in the 1950s. Horrendous. Tried for years to contain it by digging up rhizomes and cutting back leaves but it just smiled with amusement at this and spread some more. Eventually we paid for a gardener to dig up most of it then sprayed the rest. And it has gone.
I miss it in the winter though and have some in a pot.
The best thing you can say about bamboo is that at least it's not Japanese Knotweed.

You can harvest it, if big enough, for canes!

Re controlling/eradiction bamboo or mares tale etc read this.

allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/1989/ammonium-sulphamate-weed-killer-banned/

Read the information in the link and follow down to the comments by Nigel Roberts.
The product used to be allowed as a very effective root stump killer but due to silly testing regulations it is now only allowed to be used as a compost accelerant.

If you use it as a compost accelerator be very careful not to spill it anywhere else.
In general it is said to break down in the soil to quite natural products.

I spent two days this summer chipping away at a bamboo and eventually removing. Massive task but immense satisfaction. Wait to see this summer if it reappears . Three more to go!! Watch this space.