Bamboo plants for ground cover
The best types of bamboo to cover a large area of bare ground are running bamboo plants, which spread quickly by underground rhizomes. This means they will rapidly send up shoots to break the surface in different places and quickly produce a thick carpet, helping stabilise the soil on steep banks and slopes, reduce the need for weeding or simply fill big gaps in the border. In contrast, clump forming bamboos spread more slowly as the growth pattern of their roots is to expand more slowly, similar to ornamental grasses, making them less able to cover large areas of ground. Just be mindful that running bamboos can be very vigorous and may send up shoots in places you don’t want them – this is best controlled either with twice annual root pruning or by installing an impenetrable barrier below ground at the perimeter of their intended growth area when planting. Some of the best bamboos for ground cover are low growing varieties of Fargesia, Pleioblastus and Sasa. Bamboos are suitable for planting all year round, although if you have a particularly cold, exposed garden planting outdoors sufficiently early to allow the bamboo to become established and harden off prior to their first winter is recommended. Planting in spring is ideal as it means the food reserves in the rhizome can be used to fuel a fresh flush of canes over the first summer. See our bamboo planting guide for more information.