Bamboo. Photo courtesy Vineland NurseryThis eco-friendly, rapid-growing grass is a great and unique addition to any garden

Bamboo plants are one our favourite garden additions for 2009. Gardening Life caught up with Jim Lounsbery of Vineland Nurseries in Beamsville, Ont. who specializes in unusual and interesting plants, to chat about these exotic beauties. Here are his top tips and favourite bamboos, which he successfully grows, for Canadian gardens.

Bamboo is known to run all over the place and is difficult to remove once established in a garden. Look for clumping bamboos that tend to be much less invasive.

  1. Clumping bamboos are durable in our snowy winters. If they are struck with a big dump of snow, they come back nicely with spring thaw.
  2. Bamboo is a sun-lover but can tolerate some shade. It likes rich, well-drained soil high in organic matter
  3. The following are the best clumping bamboos for Canadian gardens and will also do really well in large containers

Read: Best Clumping Bamboos ?