You hear a lot about bamboo when it comes to going “green.” There are endless uses for the plant, be it housing, flooring, clothing, bed sheets, dishes, instruments, food, medicine, etc. I personally love using a shoot of bamboo as a long curtain rod and have it over many of the windows in my house. Did you know bamboo is one of the fastest growing plant on the earth which makes it an amazing renewable resource?
In honor of earth day I wanted to highlight the bamboo that has a special place in our home here in Maryland (yes, Maryland). Half of the area behind our fence is a dense bamboo grove, which makes a beautiful natural barrier against an unsightly and noisy road nearby. The amazing part of bamboo is that it stays green ALL year!
still green in the snow
Before you decide to grow your own bamboo, do your research as to the type of plant and conditions that you have to make sure it will grow and that it will not grow out of control (it can be tough to contain), but definitely consider the option. Once it spreads along our entire back fence we will not only not see the nearby road, but be surrounded by a tropical oasis so dense that we will feel miles away from the noise of traffic. A great way to use a sustainable resource as a natural outdoor barrier!
Happy Earth Day! Here are some GREAT tips from the EPA on how to reduce/reuse/recycle!
Karen Roush 