Practical Bamboos features the 50 best bamboos based on appearance and usefulness. A handy checklist allows readers to pick plants that are right for them at a glance. A section on using bamboo in the garden covers topics such as incorporating bamboos in the mixed border, using them to create Japanese-style or Mediterranean-style gardens, using them for hedges and edging, establishing them in containers, choosing the right ones for difficult places, and selecting the best plants for small gardens or waterside planting.
Whatever your climate, there is a suitable species of bamboo for your garden. More than 300 bamboos are described, from tropical and subtropical species to hardy species with information on size, native range, and landscape use.
"'Each year during the shoot season, we stand spellbound in our beautiful botanical garden, gazing in awe at the newly emerging shoots of tropical giant bamboos. They thrust the earth aside in great clods as they heave their mighty bulk from beneath the earth.'" The object of this book is to communicate a wealth of knowledge, both scientific and practical, to those with little knowledge of the fabulous clumping bamboos of the world. Few people seem to be aware of the existence of these clumping bamboos. Their experience and attitudes have been soured by the invasive running bamboos. The Western world is not yet taking clumping bamboos seriously. Most Asian countries treat this fastest growing, annually renewable resource with great reverence. Bamboo feeds them, houses them, graces and shades their environment. It is used to make their musical instruments, cooking and eating utensils, furniture, hunting weapons, and ceremonial artifacts. It even provides the reinforcement for their concrete. Bamboo provides their carrying and storage baskets, lamps and lampshades, ropes and strings, roof tiles and hats, and has hundreds of other practical and spiritual uses. "Bamboo World" distils simple practical advice on using bamboo for a wealth of applications. It draws on both traditional village technology and modern scientific research, accumulated over the author's many years of travel, practice, research, growing, and association with village communities and scientists from many countries.
Gardens of all sizes can accommodate bamboos, which are cold-resistant and surprisingly easy to grow. Some bamboos make impressive specimens for the border, others form a fast-growing hedge or screen, and short forms provide a leafy groundcover. David Crompton explains everything needed to grow bamboos in this guide to nearly two hundred ornamental plants.
This revised handbook brings together the practical experiences of engineers in the field and of research programs testing bamboo. The author shows how bamboo can be harvested, seasoned and jointed to form walls, doors and windows, roofs, floors, ceilings, roof trusses and bridges, and how to weave bamboo.
A natural and cultural history of this important and useful plant. We may think of bamboo only as a snack for cuddly panda bears, but we use the plant as food, clothing, paper, fabric, and shelter. Drawing on a vast array of sources, this book builds a complete picture of bamboo in both history and our modern world. Susanne Lucas shows how bamboo has always met the physical and spiritual requirements of humanity while at the same time being exploited by people everywhere. Lucas describes how bamboo’s special characteristics, such as its ability to grow quickly and thus be an easily replaced resource, offers potential solutions to modern ecological dilemmas. She explores the vital role bamboo plays in the survival of many animals and ecosystems, as well as its use for some of the earliest books ever written, as the framework for houses, and for musical instruments. As modern research and technologies advance, she explains, bamboo use has increased dramatically—it can now be found in the filaments of light bulbs, airplanes, the reinforcements of concrete, and even bicycles. Filled with illustrations, Bamboo is an interesting new take on a plant that is both very old and very new.
Two Burmese boys, one a Karenni refugee and the other the son of an imprisoned Burmese doctor, meet in the jungle and in order to survive they must learn to trust each other.
Bamboo has become a popular planting choice in recent years; its architectural features are very appealing. Nevertheless, some bamboos can be highly invasive and can impact negatively on the built environment and local habitats. This book outlines the darker side of bamboo's nature and offers practical advice on how to deal with it; it also provides an overview of bamboo history, biology and ecology, and highlights why planting some species of bamboo can be particularly problematic. Useful guidance for householders who have planted, or wish to plant bamboo, is presented, as well as practical advice for those wanting to rid themselves of the plant. Most people who buy and sell bamboo are not aware of how invasive and destructive many bamboos can be. This book seeks to raise the profile of these plants, constructively and helpfully.
Bamboo is an ordinary plant with extraordinary properties. With its high growth rate and self-renewing ability, bamboo’s sustainability is unparalleled. Bamboo is an important resource for a healthy planet, and its shoots hold manifold nutritional benefits. Based on 18 years of research, Bamboo Shoot: Superfood for Nutrition, Health and Medicine details health-promoting bioactive compounds found in bamboo and offers practical guidance on how this vegetable, bamboo shoot, is used for food fortification. Already a delicacy in many Asian countries, bamboo shoots aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Exploring the tradition and culture of bamboo in Asian countries, this book also provides information on the science behind the nutritional value of bamboo shoots. Written by individuals with expertise in bamboo shoot nutrition and fully illustrated in colour, this book reveals the antioxidant activity of bamboo shoots and discusses the potential for bamboo to be used as an ingredient in functional foods and nutraceuticals. This highly practical book discusses processing and packaging of shoots for long term storage and using bamboo in the development of novel food products. Features: Elucidates the nutrients and phytochemicals in over 30 bamboo species and includes a glossary of scientific names Highlights the nutraceutical and antioxidant properties of bamboo Describes novel healthy food products fortified with bamboo shoots and provides food recipes using bamboo Explains how bamboo can help countries achieve their sustainable development goals, from poverty reduction, food security, improved nutrition and prevention of diseases to climate change mitigation and inclusive green economic development Aimed at professionals in the nutrition and food processing industry, this book appeals to those with an interest in incorporating bamboo into a healthier lifestyle. Endorsements This is a unique book interestingly crafted to highlight the important nutritional, health and medicinal aspects of Bamboo, an area that is greatly underexplored. It will bring awareness that bamboo shoots are a low calorie, high fibre nutritious vegetable packed with vitamins and minerals. - Prof. Cherla Sastry, Founding Director General INBAR and Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto, Canada This book brings a series of answers to all questions related to bamboo as a superfood [and will] enlighten readers how to transform bamboo shoots using either traditional or modern techniques, how to package them and how to use them as a functional and nutraceutical food. It also provides a series of cooking recipes for healthy eating while we enjoy our food. - Ximena Londoño, Founder, A Bamboo and Guadua Paradise, Colombia
