Bamboo for gardens / Ted Jordan Meredith

Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-398).

Chapter 1. Bamboo and the Grass Family, 17 -- Origin and Distribution, 20 -- Woody and Herbaceous Bamboos, 25 -- Chapter 2. Structure and Function, 27 -- Segmented Structure, 27 -- Rhizomes, 32 -- Roots, 35 -- Culms, 36 -- Branches, 40 -- Leaves, 42 -- Flowers and Flowering, 50 -- Seeds, 59 -- Rhizome Morphology and Clump Habit, 61 -- Chapter 3. Culture, 75 -- Growth, 75 -- Cultural Requirements, 89 -- Buying Bamboo, 109 -- Harvesting, 115 -- Chapter 4. Propagation, 120 -- Propagating from Seed, 120 -- Vegetative Propagation, 125 -- Chapter 5. Landscaping and Maintenance, 149 -- Controlling Spread, 153 -- Controlling Height, 162 -- Thinning and Pruning, 165 -- Container Bamboos, 177 -- Sizes, Shapes, and Colors, 179 -- Creating Screens and Hedges, 190 -- Chapter 6. Bamboo Uses, 195 -- Bamboo in Traditional Economies, 195 -- Bamboo in Modern Economies, 197 -- Eating Bamboo, 204 -- Chapter 7. Bamboo in America, 210 -- American Researchers and Proponents, 211 -- End of an Era, 214 -- Overcoming an Archaic Law, 215 -- The American Bamboo Society, 216 -- The Future, 220 -- Chapter 8. Taxonomy, 222 -- Evolution of Bamboo Taxonomy, 224 -- Molecular Techniques and Cladistics, 227 -- Bamboo Redefined, 229 -- Identification and Naming, 230 -- Chapter 9. Bamboo Genera, Species, and Cultivars, 233 -- Bamboos for Special Situations, 375 -- Botanical Gardens, 379 -- Glossary, 380 -- Bibliography, 387 -- Index, 399.

Having discovered bamboo while seeking the "suburban necessity" of a privacy screen, this Washington state author distinguishes bamboo from more mundane grasses and discusses its structure and function; culture; propagation; control; uses; legal history in the US; taxonomy; and genera, species, and cultivars. The book includes a guide to bamboos for specific landscaping needs, information on two major gardens in US bamboo culture at which many of the book's striking glossy color photos were taken, and a glossary of terms.