The World of Bamboo

a while back i promised a post on some impressions i have had of bamboo.  stunning.  amazingly diverse.  hardy.  so easy to use.  SUSTAINABLE.

we were walking around the Djanbung Gardens a month ago and i was taken aback by their ability to use bamboo in so many ways.  it made me smile when i thot back to our trip to Hong Kong 3 years ago and saw these 5-6 storey scaffolding structures made out of .... you guessed it .... bamboo!

i could wax lyrical .... but that does get boring after a while.  so i thot i would let the pictures of what you can do with bamboo speak for themselves.  please forgive the blatant child photo's .... can't help it .... they are an integral part of our lives and seem to follow us everywhere!  <g>

take a look at the bench!

these are beans growing up a bamboo
pole.  the spikey bits from the bamboo
have been left on and make great spots for the
beans to grab on to!

a shade house of course.  will be early on our agenda
to build.  and of course it's out of bamboo!

a shot under for how it is put together

and an even better shot!

bamboo, stripped down and used to create raised
bed gardens!

nothing from bamboo goes to waste ....
these are the leaves that fall off ...
used as mulch

hey mum!  that's a huge bit of
bamboo!  

you do need to choose your bamboo
carefully.  talking to the staff at djanbung they indicated
that this bamboo is useless for building big
structures because it didn't stand up to the elements
very well. however for furniture .... well jeepers!
it would be gorgeous, aye?

a stand of bamboo that they use to build with.
takes about 4 years for it to be big enuf to do much with.
guess we'll have to get planting early!

now that is pretty darn cool!

more bamboo leaves .... they were used as mulch for the
turkeys and chooks.

yeah .... she is cute and having fun .... but look at
the trellis behind her!

and of course the required curing station
to allow the bamboo to dry out and
harden.

a big picture perspective of some of the ways they have
used bamboo in the garden.  hodge podge ... a bit.
but it works and it's sustainable!

and even as fencing around some of the gardens!  

in mid march i will be heading off to the Philippines to visit the orphanage our kids come from, Rehoboth Children's Home.  they have over 2 hectares of land and have many opportunities to do sustainable ag in a small space.  there is a place very near them that does sustainable / organic permaculture.  look at how they use bamboo!  i reckon my march trip is gonna have me seeing bamboo in my dreams!