We had a bit of a windstorm on Friday and Saturday. Some folks lost power and there were a couple of stories in the news of trees falling on cars and houses. We were spared any such damage. However, a bamboo that acts as a divider between two areas in my side garden blew over.
It took with it a column that stood nearby. Fortunately, there was no damage to the column. It came in several parts that stack on top of each other and simply unstacked.
The good news is that the bamboo was growing in an ugly white plastic pot with the bottom cut out if it that I'd been using as a root barrier. Silly really as this is a clumping bamboo. The pot was mostly buried but about a foot of glaring plastic stuck up above the soil line. I'd hoped to get the pot out of the picture but couldn't get it to move this summer so the wind actually did me a favor.
The dragon head that lived on top of the column did suffer some damage but can be repurposed somewhere else. So, while the wind helped me, beneath the pot is hard soil full of timber bamboo roots. I got rid of that bamboo and thought that the roots would rot away sooner than they have so digging a deeper hole to plop this plant into will take some effort but I'll be very happy to be rid of the ugly looking white plastic business.
Mother nature indirectly gave you a helping hand :) The storm turned out to be a positive thing for you and hasn't done any damage thankfully!
ReplyDeleteWe were very lucky! The storm helped to get me started as that area has needed some attention for a while now.
DeleteThat was quite a windstorm, wasn't it? Fortunately, nothing blew over here except a pot full of red twig dogwood branches and an empty portable greenhouse. There's plenty of small branches to tidy up though. What a bummer about your dragon head.
ReplyDeleteThe dragon head wasn't very expensive and purchased locally so it'll be easy to replace it if I decide to. The breaks were all clean so I may just haul out the glue and call it good.
DeleteYikes! The wind was so crazy this weekend. I woke up on Saturday Morning at 2 or so...and couldn't believe it! I'm glad there wasn't too much damage and your column wasn't broken!
ReplyDeleteWhen we started work on the outside of our house I decided to un stick all of the old double hung windows that had been painted shut or sealed with glue, etc. Our windows all open and close beautifully now but I didn't replace all of the inner stops for the sashes so whenever we get a wind storm, the windows rattle around and make loud noises. Every winter I swear that I'll get that little job done and each year I put it off. Maybe subconsciously I enjoy hearing all the loud noises and feeling like the house could blow over at any minute. Fun times.
DeleteBesides a garden full of a ton of branches and needles from the Fir trees behind us I think we escaped any negatives from the crazy wind. I thought for sure our neighbors wind chimes would end up at least 3 miles away (no such luck). Sorry about the dragon damage and good luck with the up-righting of that gorgeous bamboo!
ReplyDeleteI may saw the bamboo in half so that I only have to dig a couple smaller holes. (How lazy can one person be?) Glad that your garden weathered the storm with no damage. Do you use a leaf blower to get rid of the needles that fall on your rock mulch?
DeleteIt was a nasty storm, woke me up too. Felt bad for the Seahawks who were out in the elements though the fans didn't seem deterred.
ReplyDeleteYour bamboo looks beautiful even on it's side; it doesn't show any damage from the freezing temperatures we had. If this is indeed a clumping variety, then you have an opportunity here! What a lucky break. I do remember you posted about a running bamboo once...
The maximum spread on this bamboo is only about 10 feet which is perfect for the spot. It's behaved beautifully with the plastic barrier and I see no runners pressing up against the side of the pot like there would be with a running bamboo that had been contained for as many years as this one. Unfortunately, I planted a running bamboo a billion years ago before I knew about barriers and each Year I have to dig and cut those big running roots. I love the bamboo grove but am not at all fond of the annual work just to keep it in bounds.
DeleteAnd many thanks for sending the wind our way! The sound of the pods from the Honey Locust tree hitting the skylight is like mortar fire. I'm sure you can repurpose the dragon head someplace cool.
ReplyDeleteOh land of Goshen, I saw pictures on the news of wind blowing trucks over on the road in some parts of the country. Sorry about sending the wind your way but we were sick of it.
DeleteI was out Sunday morning cleaning up debris from the fir trees, but no major branches down this time. We still have two dead dogwoods down on the deck that blew down before Christmas. We will be logging them tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you got a hand out from the wind for your gardening.
I'm glad that you had no major branches down! I love the way your house sits with the beautiful towering l evergreens all around but would worry about one of them falling. (I know that seldom happens but I like to worry.) The bamboo blowing over is nature's way of telling me to get busy out there!
DeleteHooray for silver linings, though I'm sorry about your dragon. Luckily everything stayed upright at our place.
ReplyDeleteHooray for everything remaining upright at your place! I'm ready for spring now!
DeleteGlad it was an OK situation for you, but that was some wind! That's a deliciously healthy Bamboo plant you have there.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many gorgeous bamboo varieties that grow very well here! I dream of living on a property large enough to have substantial groves of several of them.
DeleteGlad you didn't suffer more damage... I'm looking past that downed bamboo to be slightly jealous of all the green I see at your place! I know better than to think "spring" just yet here, so will content myself with photos of your gorgeous space.
ReplyDeleteWe are called "The Evergreen State" because, on the western side of the state we are blessed with a lot of evergreen foliage (and winter rain.) Temperatures here have been mild and we're looking for signs of spring every day!
DeleteThat was a freaky wind, wasn't it? Selectively gusty, I guess could describe it. I found things in places where I know I didn't put them, whereas others I was sure would have toppled over, were fine. Glad it ended up doing you a favor, but sorry about the dragon head.
ReplyDeleteLots of debris on the road, and I picked up some terrific moss and lichen encrusted branches to use...where? One of these days I will need to come to terms with all of the beautiful detritus that comes home with me from my walks. Good for you: finding the silver linings. I would love to spend an evening listening to your haunted house in a windstorm.
ReplyDeleteJust discovered your blog after a search on nandina 'Firepower,' and can't recall how I got to this particular page, but here I am! I love the clumping bamboo in the overturned pot! The canes appear very dark golden, almost orangey, in these photos. Would you share what species/cultivar it is? Perhaps I can find it at Clinton's Bamboo in Burien. (I'm in Seattle.) Love your blog! Patty
ReplyDeleteHi Patty, Glad you enjoy my blog! The bamboo in the pot is a runner Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Allgold.' However, I freed it from it's pot and stuck it in the ground shortly after this post as I read that it is a fairly slow mover as bamboos go. It was pretty badly damaged so much had to be cut off. It's the most beautifully-colored gold bamboo. It's culms emerge gold and turn a deep butterscotch with age. If you're concerned about planting a running bamboo in the ground, this one does well in a pot but you can also use a barrier to keep it in check in the ground. They had it last spring at City People's Nursery (2939 E Madison) right in your home town. Hope you decide to try it as it's a beauty! Happy gardening!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSomehow my comment (below) was posted twice.....
DeleteThanks so much for all the valuable info, and for taking the time to respond to my comment on your OLD post! I am indeed enjoying your blog, and look forward to reading many of the archived posts, as well as new ones. Am also looking forward to visiting Bark & Garden, which I'd never heard of, even though I thought I knew of most of the interesting regional nurseries. (Apparently NOT!) Having a friend who recently bought a home on Long Lake (east of Oly), I suspect I may be visiting said nursery before long. Thanks again! Patty
ReplyDelete