Bamboo is a non-native species that some people love and others hate. It is the fastest-growing privacy screen, but it spreads so rapidly that it can take over areas where people don’t want it growing, including in neighbors’ yards.
But most bamboo in the Carroll County area has been killed down to the ground because of extremely cold temperatures in mid-February.
“Pandas are in trouble in Carroll County this year,” farmer Larry Lowman, who lives in southern Carroll County where it got down to 19 below, said. “The bamboo is toast. That will not come back except from the ground. The dead canes will be difficult to get rid of and will be a fire hazard. By and large, individual leaflets are going to fall off like autumn leaves and you will be left with naked, stiff stalks. And if you have a whole bunch of those stalks, they might inhibit light enough that it will slow down the growth of the new canes coming up.”
The dead stalks are likely to eventually fall over. Disposal is a problem because bamboo does not compost for many years and—unlike leaves and tree limbs—is not accepted for recycling by the city because it can’t be shredded. When it is burned, it can create great loud, firecracker-like noises unsettling to neighbors, pets and wildlife.
Lowman considers removal optional and mainly a matter of your location. In the city, it might need to be removed because it looks bad and could be a fire hazard. Near roads, it could fall into the road. In a rural area, he thinks new ones will come up without having to remove old ones.
“The leaves are really starting to fall on the ground with the windy weather,” Lowman said. “Once the leaves are down, sunlight can penetrate through the remaining dead stalks.”
Lowman, a proponent of native plants, isn’t fond of bamboo plantings.
“It is a quick and easy privacy screen,” he said. “Sometimes quick and easy isn’t the best.”
All of the bamboo canes at Bear Creek Nursery & Landscaping were damaged by the freezing temperatures, co-owner Heather Cross said. “However, the underground rhizomes should be fine and will hopefully start sending up new shoots in a few weeks.”
Cross has spoken to a few people who think some of the interior canes may have survived.
“Ours did not,” she said. “If you think any of the canes survived, don’t do anything just yet. Ultimately the damaged canes will lose all of their leaves and turn brown. Dead canes should be cut as close to the ground as possible. I’ll be searching Pinterest for cool ways to use bamboo canes – there are lots of them, bamboo fences, plant stakes and trellises, flutes, wall hangings, etc.”
Cross said most of our popular perennial plants will survive.
“So far everything I would expect to be emerging at this time of year seems to be,” she said. “In fact, the daffodils are incredible this year! Damage is much more obvious on shrubs and trees.”
Overall, considering the extreme temperatures, she said the nursery came through pretty well.
“Our shade house took the biggest hit,” she said. “Some of the damage to trees and shrubs was immediate, while the nandinas, for instance, took a couple of weeks to show damage. We’ve moved quite a few items to the tree pen (aka the infirmary), with fingers crossed they will rally back later this year with some extra TLC.
“Three of our greenhouses are heated with propane and, just like many others around here, we were pretty desperate for a tank refill. We ultimately purchased several smaller tanks and used those to keep the heat on. Nick and I were here daily and sometimes in the middle of the night and at dawn checking on everything. Thankfully, we were able to keep the losses at a minimum.”
Lowman said he felt lucky that during the two coldest nights, there was snowfall that acted as an insulating blanket. He believes the damage to plants area-wide is going to be confined mostly to cultivated plants people have in their yards that are not native to this part of the world like gardenias, camellias and nandina.
Privet is a non-native plant that can be invasive. It usually stays green in the winter, but the leaves have turned brown.
“Unfortunately, privet will probably come back just fine,” he said. “I’m hoping any mimosa tree in the county might be killed down to the ground. Mimosa is something I’ve always despised. When 2011 went down to almost as cold as this year, we did lose the top growth and several mimosa trees.”
As far as native plants, by and large it was not a particularly threatening event.
“I was really impressed,” Lowman said. “I thought our native Ozark witch hazel, which has a fragrance that appeals to my nose, might be harmed because some blossoms opened the week before the storm. I thought it would be desiccated. I swear, five days after minus 19 I was out in the front yard enjoying the fragrance of that shrub. It is a very important medicinal plant, an astringent that is probably used in more different products than almost any other native American plant including soaps, medicines and cosmetics. It is particularly popular in Europe. It was one of the first products exported from this country. I really enjoy having them around. There are not many things blooming on February 10.”
Lowman, who sells produce and native plants at the White Street Market that begins in May, is hoping the cold weather is over for the winter.
“Last year we had a hard freeze in mid-April,” Lowman said. “Then we had light frost in early May. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen this year. Last year was lousy both in spring and fall for too much rain and colder than normal temperatures. In Arkansas, it seems like we are at one extreme or another. We are never Goldilocks perfect. Rain and cloudy days really hamper the crops I like to grow.”