Mike's Evolving Garden

The man who fixed my decking lives just around the corner, literally, about 500 yards away.
While he was doing the decking he said he had some bamboo in his garden and he was going to dig it up because it was taking over ... and he asked me if I would like some.

Of course I said "Yes please", and knowing how they spread I thought I would put it in a pot.

Well yesterday afternoon, while I was in the garden, I heard him calling me from the side entrance, and he and his wife had brought me 'some' bamboo ! - loads of it ! They were both carrying huge clumps of it !

I had a shock at the amount, but thanked them and they went away.
Then I thought "What on earth am I going to do with all that !"
So I found two big pots and planted some in each, and the rest went into my garden waste bin
I put the pots on my new decking area ...





There's more in the bin than in the pots !

 

Very nice indeed. Good height.

 

Maybe you should consider getting a Panda Micheal.

 

What a wonderful transformation and helpful thread, @Michael Hewett. It looks all set for winter now. Do you find the breeze block type bricks absorb heat well? I am thinking of using some as retaining walls for raised beds in my garden. Did the paint stay on the ones that were painted?

 

Thank you all

I don't know if the breeze blocks absorb heat @ClematisDbee I've never thought about it.
They work well as retaining walls, I placed them on their sides, as you've probably noticed.
It's years since I painted any, and the paint does stay on. However they need repainting now. I'll do it in the spring.

 

Thank you @Michael Hewett, I think the blocks would help me crack on in small areas of the garden that are uneven that need bolstering, especially near pathways. It is good to hear the paintwork lasts a while. I might not need to paint them - would have to try them in situ, but would want the option in case needed. Glad I saw your thread!

 

I don't think breeze blocks will retain the amount of heat a stone, or conventional brick, wall would, as they're more porous.
Masonry paint will work best.

 

Most of those soft blocks you get these days are not actually breeze blocks of old, they are I believe thermal blocks that retain some heat but in a raised bed will do the opposite in the winter and keep the bed cold.
The down side could be that they absorb water and may crack if you get hard frost.

 

Hey @pete, Beryl's panda says thanks for the suggestion !



The concrete blocks I've used as retaining walls are the old fashioned ones. I used them in 2008 when I didn't know about the thermal ones.
Those are used for insulation - the men that built my extension 2 yrs ago used them for the inner skin of the walls.
I've used the 'left-over' ones to raise my cold frames off the ground. They are very light, I can pick one up with one hand.

 

Nothing done here through the winter, but I've been ordering some bricks so that I could raise my cold frames off the ground.
The first and largest one was done last summer, and one of the smaller ones in the autumn.
Now at last I've got the third one up - it was on top of my raised bed which I needed for growing a few vegetables, and now I can use both the raised bed and the cold frame on its bricks ...



The other two, previously done ...

 

Much easier on the back having them raised Michael. It must take you hours to water all those pots.

 

Thanks for your comment @Sheal Yes it does take a while but I don't actually water them all at the same time, and it's something I enjoy. I find it quite a relaxing thing to do.

 

Bamboo is quite expensive at garden centres, have you thought of dividing it and selling it locally.

 

@Michael Hewett your experience with the bamboo reminds me of last year when I gave some bulbs away on freecycle and a chap collected some and asked if I'd like some Bilbergia nutans , I said yes and he came back the next week with a bin bag full. Apparently he finds them hardy down here and has them in various places in his garden.

 

I go to an annual rare plant sale and every year there has been a chap there with compost sacks each with a good sized division of a bamboo in it. As he as quite a collection you can find some uncommon ones.