The bambusa multiplex 'fernleaf' is growing well this 2nd year. Planted last spring, it is starting to fill in and gain height. It should reach 10 feet in height and be full enough to shear if I should want to do that. It is commonly known as hedge bamboo. Right now, I really enjoy the weeping habit it has.
I do want it to get thicker and provide more privacy against that chain link fence. I'm told the third year is when it should reach its potential. It appears I may have to widen this bed to allow the bamboo more room to weep without covering up the border of flax lily. That project is going on the list for cooler weather.
The little bottle brush was only 30 inches tall when planted in early Spring. Judging by it's height against the fence, I'd say it is about 5 feet tall now. Right after this picture was taken I trimmed the lower branches to begin training it into a multi-trunked tree.
It is so much nicer to work under the shade of the gigantic live oak which shades the other half of the back garden. The firespikes, bromeliads and gingers love living beneath this tree.
The shady corner which was completely bare after January, has actually become a bit crowded. Perhaps some plants will be moved down the fenceline a little to fill in around my favorite seating area.
Yes, it's quite a jungle out in the backyard now. I still have mostly cold sensitive plants in this area. There are a few cold hardy ones sprinkled throughout which, hopefully, will keep the garden from looking quite as desolate as last winter. And, I am ever hopeful for a much milder winter.
Taking a step back to see the plantings from a distance shows me that My Garden Path is quite the hodge-podge of a plant collection rather than a well-planned landscape. Ah well, a garden is a reflection of the gardener after all.
