Black Bamboo

I worked from home this afternoon and the sun was shining! The garden looks a mess and this weekend I must do some tidying work. But the Black Bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra, looked good in the sunshine – so I had to take a photograph:

The clump is now about 12 feet high and I continue to take out some of the oldest, thinnest canes each year to try and keep it open. I also remove the lower branches so as the canes can be seen. Last winter caused a lot of the foliage to shrivel in the frost, I hope this winter will not be as bad.