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The
importance of green urban areas cannot be underestimated— especially in this day and age when city dwellers make up over half the world's population. Green areas are not only beautiful and relaxing to the eye, but also critical for the environment. Plants
have an essential ecological function in purifying the air that we breathe. Plants provide a green canopy, transpire water, and absorb
the atmospheric carbon that is a hazardous pollutant of modern cities.
Thoughtful planning is
necessary to maximize the ecological, esthetic, and economic
impact of an urban greening strategy, and the choice of the
suitable vegetation for particular purposes is crucial.
Bamboo is widely used
for urban greening in Asia. In China bamboo is planted in parks
and along walk-ways, while in the Philippines bamboo is planted
along the verges of highways, both to prevent erosion and to
create a pleasant visual effect.
In
Western Europe, bamboos are increasingly used for public
landscaping. There are several reasons for this: perhaps the most obvious one is that bamboo stays green all year round and
many of the hardy varieties that were introduced in Europe nearly 200 years ago can
withstand temperatures as low as -35°C.
Another
important factor is cost: bamboos are very affordable plants, and
they require little maintenance which is a definite plus point for
city and town councils working on tight budget.
Bamboos
are multi-purpose landscaping plants. They can be used as solitary
specimen plants, as groundcover, as low or tall mounds, or as
impenetrable hedges. The extensive assortment of
bamboos of different sizes and habit preferences make the plant
suitable for virtually every application of public
landscaping.
Last
but not least, bamboos are quite simply beautiful plants that can
be combined with trees or flowering plants.
The advantages of bamboo
are summed up in the following points:
-
Evergreen,
hardy, frost resistant plants
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Affordable
price + low maintenance costs
-
Bamboo
is a multipurpose plant useful for groundcover, hedges,
mounds, screens, etc.
-
Esthetic
plant that can be easily combined with other trees and shrubs
The
modern uses of bamboo in urban greening are an extension of its
garden applications. Bamboo can be planted along roadsides
to act as a tall visual and acoustic screen.
Selected
Bamboos
for Public Landscaping Applications
Groundcover
(0.4 to 0.6 meters
tall)
Low Mounds (0.6
to 1.5 meters
tall)
Medium
Tall Mounds (1.5 to 3.0 meters
tall)
Tall
Mounds (3 to 8 meters
tall)
High
Screens and Hedges (3
to 8 meters)
Low
to Medium tall Hedges (1
to 3 meters
tall)
Solitary
specimen plants
Recommended
Plant Spacing
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Mounds |
Hedges |
|
Dwarf bamboo |
0.4 m - 0.6 m |
0.25 m - 0.5
m |
|
Short bamboo |
0.8 m - 1.0 m |
0.5 m - 0.75
m |
|
Medium bamboo |
1.2 m - 1.5
m |
0.75 m - 1.25
m |
|
Giant bamboo |
2.0 m - 3.0 m |
1.0 m - 2.5 m |
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