The timber bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax) I purchased and planted ten years ago has slowly formed a grove. I planted it to hide the neighbors behind me who have a yard full of English ivy and other assorted mess. I had started a Fall harvest of canes last year for the first time as a few canes came up where they were not wanted. Once the wood has hardened I cut them and dug up and moved the roots back toward the fence.
The canes reach about 30 feet tall and four inches in width. I hope they eventually form a grove.
Gus likes to sniff them after I chop them down. Well, he actually sniffs everything! The camera caught the reflection of the sun in his eyes just right to give him that “Possessed Dog” look!
There is a native yellow passionflower (Passifloria lutea) that grows wild in my neighborhood. The flowers are very small and they form small fruits about the size of a golf ball after flowering.
Also, the Hurricane lilies (Lycoris radiata) are blooming. They send up their blooms at the beginning of hurricane season here in The South of the United States which is why they are nicknamed Hurricane Lilies here. They are unusual because they bloom in the Fall, then the leaves grow and last through out the winter. The leaves die back midsummer them the blooms pop up out of no where in Autumn.
The Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) is blooming, too. The male plumes are long and feathery and the female plumes are fuzzy and compact. Most clumps are a mixture of seedlings so they mature with both male and female plants. They grown about 10 feet tall and just as wide. They are a classic on the coast! They just about grow wild down there now.
This clump is in a yard in my neighborhood.
They need plenty of room as the leaves are sharp and irritate the skin!
Other blooms:
Many colors of Rose of Sharon (Althea).
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Arthur in the Garden! 