Heavenly bamboo is a beautiful plant you can grow in your garden or inside of your home. This is a gorgeous bush known for its beautiful foliage, tender flowers and striking berries. It can provide so much color in your garden, even during the winter. If you wish to grow a Heavenly bamboo it is important to know what to provide to your plant so it can grow healthy.

Heavenly bamboo plants don't ask much to thrive. They can grow strong and healthy even with a minimum of care. However, it is always good to pay some attention to your plant. This will be very rewarding since your Heavenly bamboo will grow strong and healthy. It will also reward you with gorgeous flowers and colorful berries.

Heavenly Bamboo Care Requirements

You can grow your Heavenly bamboo in almost any type of soil. However, make sure that this plant thrives in a rich, well-drained soil. In case that the soil in your garden is alkaline, make sure to add some iron to make it suitable for growing Heavenly bamboo plants.

Heavenly bamboo can be a bit demanding when it comes to the exact spot where it's placed. It prefers some shade and it likes to be sheltered. However, keep in mind that it produces better foliage color and berries in the sun. This plant is excellent for corners in the garden. It will look great when planted against a wall where it can cast shadow patterns.

This is an evergreen plant that grows slowly. In order to make it thrive, you need to provide it with regular waterings. It should also have some protection from too hot sun. Other than that, there are not many things that this plant requires to grow and thrive.

In the spring, it is important to prune your Heavenly bamboo plant (see below). This is also a good time to apply some balanced fertilizer and treat your Heavenly bamboo with some mulch of rotted leaves. Later in the spring, give your plant some bonemeal. In the winter, it is important to apply mulch consisting of rotten compost or leaves.

Berries

Heavenly bamboo can live if the temperatures drop to 10 degrees but will probably become defoliated. Keep in mind that these plants are drought and frost resistant. However, if a spring drought happens when the blooms are dropping and the small fruit are being set it may cause the lost of that year's crop of berries. This is one thing to keep in mind.

If there is not enough moisture, the small green fruits will dry and drop off. It is therefore important to water your Heavenly bamboo regularly during the blooming time if the weather is dry. If you do this chances are that you will be rewarded with plenty of berries.

Pruning Your Heavenly Bamboo

Pruning is important for shaping your Heavenly bamboo. It is also useful when you want to keep your plant healthy and strong. Keep in mind that a Heavenly bamboo becomes leggy if you allow it to grow above 5 feet in height.

If you wish to emphasize elegance and want to have a plant with airy, graceful canes, you should shape your shrub to be narrow and slender. This can be achieved with careful pruning. You need to reduce the number of stems by simply cutting some off at the ground level. This is the best way to carefully silhouette your Heavenly bamboo.

On the other hand, if you wish to have a thick bush or a strong hedge, it is best to encourage new bushy growth. However, it is important to monitor the growth and not to let your plant grow above five feet in height.

It is best to do pruning early in the spring. Do it when the berries begin to drop but before the new growth starts. This is the point when some of the old, tall canes should be cut out completely. This will encourage new growth from the base, which will promote strength and make your Heavenly bamboo healthier.

How to Propagate Heavenly Bamboo

It is very easy to propagate Heavenly bamboo if this is what you wish to do. The best and quickest method to propagate these plants is by transplanting the shoots or runners. These will come easily from an established plant. Established Heavenly bamboo plants have runners that are up to one foot long. These are great for transplanting your Heavenly bamboo. It is best to do transplanting in the fall.

On the other hand, it is possible to start your Heavenly bamboo plants directly from seed. This is a very satisfying project you can do if you have time and want to see your plants grow from seed. To start your Heavenly bamboo in this way, simply gather the berries after they have turned dark and before they fall. Place them under the light mulch around the parent plant. This is all you need to do: the new plants will grow and care for themselves until they are large enough to transplant them. This transplanting should be done in the fall.

However, if you wish to start a large quantity of Heavenly bamboo seeds, make sure to sow seeds carefully and then cover them with about one inch of loose soil. When done like this, the seed will germinate in about five to six weeks.

Young plants will greatly benefit if you apply some shallow mulch of old compost and if you feed your new plants with some bonemeal. Always make sure to transplant in the fall. Provide the same care to your new and old plants. This process will give you a good number of Heavenly bamboo plants in a relatively short time.

Photo credit: Vicki DeLoach