Bamboo Switcheroo

The winter storm 
Hid in the bamboo grove 
And quieted away. 
- Basho

As usual, finding time to work in the garden hasn't been easy. Updating the vegetable garden fencing and water system has taken up all my free time these last two weeks. Today was the first chance I had to practice with a fence panel replacement in the Zen Garden.

Over the winter, the fence started to take a beating. 

I'm replacing the split bamboo with 3/4 diameter bamboo pole panels. They will be more sturdy and should last longer than the split bamboo which was held together by thin wire that has rusted over the years. The split bamboo also had a tendency to bow. It lasted over seven years, but its time for it to go (see the right side of the image below).

The new bamboo poles are solid and held together with two wires that could easily be replaced in the future. 

The test panel looks good. It was easy to come up with a quick routine for changing each panel. I will have to wait a week or more for the rest of the panels to get here.

My plan is to remove all the bamboo panels and raise up the bottom rail about 3.5 inches to accommodate the 3 ft. height of the new panels. It will result in a larger gap at the bottom, but that will make it easier to blow leaves underneath in the fall (see image above). I will then re-stain the fence before putting in the bamboo panels. 

Its been almost 8 years, and the fence needs a new staining - its starting to fade. I built the fence so that I can easily accommodate the new panels. The major task is raising the bottom rail. After the new panels are in, I will coat the bamboo poles with a protective stain. 

Completing the entire fence is going to take some time. I will work on it when I can. I am hoping that I will be finished by mid July - the height of the garden's bloom.