Being without fragrance (and when it comes to the blooming of the bamboo that is a very good thing) means that a perfume like ‘Bamboo Harmony’ takes great creative license in the way it conjures the peace and calm and serenity of its namesake. This Fargesia nitida – one of the clump-forming bamboo varieties – was planted last year, and it was one of four specimens from a nearby bamboo farm. It’s doing the best of the bunch (two are in shadier nooks, and I’ve found that sun in these upstate New York parts serves them better than shade) as it gets morning light reflected off a corner of the house, where warmth is also captured and thrown off by this brick chimney.
Happily, this one is also in the most prominent position, anchoring a Japanese-inspired portion of the side-yard garden, where it is joined by ferns and hosta for a calming and foliage-focused area. All of these bamboo plants were almost decimated by rabbits at the end of this past winter. I thought they’d made it through the toughest days, when all of them disappeared in a few March weeks, when food was apparently difficult to come by for the bunnies. This fall I’ll keep that in mind and protect them with a few little fences. Good fences make good neighbors, and that goes for the animal kingdom as well.
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