The Beauty of the Bamboo Plant

Most famous for being the panda's favorite snack, the bamboo plant is an interesting thing. Bamboo is, believe it or not, a large grass. Species differ enormously, from the 30cm dwarf bamboo to a massive 40m high variety. The amount of bamboos is huge - over 420 varieties are available to the US alone. While the bamboo plant is used as food and a basic construction material in native areas, it has found it's way into the modern home under a variety of guises.

Of course, the bamboo plant itself can be grown in the home. Not only is it easy to care for, it is also said to be a lucky plant, particularly when given as a gift. A lucky bamboo plant is most lucky with either three or eight stems. As a result, these bamboo plants are popular in feng shui and there is a whole host of rules to follow with your bamboo plant. The home bamboo plant can be complimented by other uses of bamboo. For example, aside from small decorative items and placemats made from bamboo, bamboo blinds have been popular for many years and are currently being marketed as a stylish way to dress a window. Blinds come with the bamboo interwoven with other grasses, making for lovely natural textures and can be either roller or roman style.

To complete the bamboo room, bamboo plants can also be made into very attractive wooden flooring. Cut into planks, the grain shows through and the wood can be smoked to darken the color, according to your preference. People who would like a wooden floor but are not happy about destroying trees to do so can rest easy if they choose bamboo - this bamboo plant is quickly renewable, growing in about three to six years.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the bamboo plant is it's flowering habit. Although it is not frequent - it may be anything from 7 to over 100 years between flowering depending on the species - all bamboo plants of the same species flower at exactly the same time, wherever they are. Spooky.