Sasa Veitchii

Description

Sasa veitchii is a vigorous, ground covering bamboo much loved by Victorian gardeners for its dense cover, often planted alongside lakes in woodland settings.  

For us gardeners today, Sasa veitchii is a fast growing bamboo usually growing no more than 60-90cm in height with broad, oval leaves 10-15cm long.  One of the interesting features of this Sasa is the marginal leaf withering that occurs to mature leaves during winter, sounds awful but in practice, when seen en masse it’s really quite attractive giving the appearance of cream/green varigation.

I usually recommend pruning back hard each spring just before new growth appears as the spring leaves are really fresh and jungly in appearance helping to keep the bamboo compact and clean looking.

Unless you have unlimited space or an island in your lake, I would think twice about where you put this Sasa, it’s brilliant in a container or restricted space, requiring root barrier to hold back its spread.  It is a ground cover bamboo and does this very well…..you have been warned!

So, in essence a really attractive, low growing robust bamboo, jungly and architectural, but spreading by nature and needs careful planting.  Also tolerant of deep shade.