Growing Bamboo on Gardening Australia

I do not have much information myself on growing bamboo - though I do have some growing in my home, and was very interested to hear the ABC program Gardening Australia today, and a segment on growing bamboo with presener Josh Byrne in Western Australia.

There are many growers of bamboo in Western Australia and the story featured is about one near Albany, on the south coast.

You can watch the program and read the fact sheet here.  I note he speaks of four Australian native bamboos but most of the material I have read gives different numbers.  This article written in 2007 talks about 3 native species which grow in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

This article also talks about 3 native species.

I recall when visiting Geikie Gorge in Western Australia last year that the indigenous guide who took us on the dusk tour through the amazing gorge and he told us that the "bamboo" in the photograph below was a native bamboo.  I have been told by bamboo people, that it is not a bamboo, but a grass.

Is this a native bamboo?

View of Geike Gorge with "bamboo" beside the rock face.

Australia Zoo and Bamboo.

It had been a while since I had visited Australia Zoo, and I had not been out to the Asia section until a couple of weeks ago - in the pouring rain, and I did not take my camer.  However, I was back there last week, but my photography efforts were hampered somewhat as I had to grandchildren to keep an eye on.  They darted all over the place like a f...  (rhymes with dart).

There are quite a few stands of amazing bamboo, especially around the tiger exhibit.

This is in the tiger area, but where we were sitting the reflection from the glass made photography too difficult.

Popularity of Bamboo Growing in Bali

I found this article - reminding me of my journey to Bali last year and my visit to The Green Village.  How I would love to go back again.

Check here to read the article.

International Chinese Film Festival

The International Chinese Film Festival 2013 will be held between 12th -19th October at Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney and 18th-22nd October in Melbourne.

This is awesome really - high in the bamboo this amazing fight.  Enjoy.

More Bamboo

My fishing tackle box is missing one important tool - well, if you call a chopping board a tool.  I had been hunting around shops recently looking for a smallish board - something that I can use to chop my bait.  I'd seen small plastic boards, but I hadn't found the size I wanted (at the right price!) until at Choice at Wynnum Plaza .  Actually I wasn't looking for a board on this occasion, but as luck would have it I found one.

A bamboo one - the right size and at the right price.  So next time I go fishing, I will have with my my bamboo chopping/bait board.  

From Wambamboo

I received an email today from Wambamboo with information about a new light that they have designed.

Ken Gration is the designer - and the information he has on his website about the reasons he uses bamboo needs to be read by everyone.

Growing Interest in Bamboo Products

One of the things I have noticed recently is the increase in products made from bamboo in a wide range of retail outlets - from the major retailers to the community markets.

There are several outlets at Eumundi Markets (Queensland)  - some not so easy to spot.  (Look for the clothing made from bamboo products - ladies fashions, so you may have to ask if there is no sign!)

I am surprised how many products are in K-Mart these days - just click on the link and search for "bamboo" and a number of items will come up.  Ikea at Logan and other Idea stores have some products - I have seen bamboo bowls there.

Coles and Woolworths stores also have a collection of items - kitchen utensils particularly.  Also don't forget to add some bamboo shoots (sadly they are only in cans in the supermarkets) to your stir fried vegetables and seek other recipes to use them.

Target, Big-W, Spotlight, some of the bedding specialists have a range of items - look for bamboo fabric chothes (ladies undies in Target and Big W), and so it goes.

Several years ago it would be impossible to find anything.  There are plenty of stores on line for bamboo products too.  Do a Google search and see what you can find - made from this wonderful sustainable, safe product.

Don't forget Howards either.