Bamboo from China on olympic opening day

This is a picture of my favourite bamboo we have in our collection here at Trewithen. It is Phyllostachys bambusoides ‘Castillonis'. The straight species is native to China. I just love the contrast of the golden yellow canes with the bright green stripes.We have it planted as part of a grove just after you enter the garden from the plant centre. The idea is to demonstrate that with careful selection of varieties bamboo needn't be the thugs they are reputed to be. There are two types of bamboo, classified by their root system. There are the clump forming varieties and the running varieties. The latter getting the bad press for being hard to control or "Escaping". The basic rule of thumb is the larger the leaf blade the more likely it is to run. Sasa palmata has large leaves and is classified as rampant. Beware!