After removing a small section to make way for a Variegated Dwarf Cardinal Shrub, I was reintroduced to the difficulty of removing established bamboo. The Clumping Bamboo (Fargesia rufa) does not have deep roots, but the roots it has is very woody and interconnected, as if one long piece - and the bed along that walkway is at least 25'. The small section alone, a 2 x2' section, required a sharp hand saw and a great deal of effort to remove. So I was quickly dissuaded from moving any further in that direction.
Within a couple of weeks, the bamboo appeared to be reviving and started to show signs of new shoots and better growth, Especially after re-mulching the bed and adding some fertilizer. Clumping bamboo doesn't look great until near the end of summer. My impatience simply got the better of my common sense knowledge that bamboo needs time to fill in and grow.
However, when I first began to panic, I considered replacing the bamboo with astilbe plants. They tend to like shade and could add a nice pop of color when they first bloom. I also thought that fully grown astilbe, over time, might help to hide the foundation wall along the stroll garden. So, I bought a total of 11 plants, 6 Montgomery's Late Red Astilbe (Astilbe japonica 'Montgomery'), and 5 Peach Blossom Japanese Astilbe (Astilbe japonica 'Peach Blossom'). The idea was to alternate the colors along the bed - all of this before I realized that removing the bamboo was not a good idea.
As a result, I then found myself with a large number of astilbe and no single place to plant them. I then decided to plant them in various "gaps" thought the garden.
First, due to critters eating my Rocket Ligularia on either side of Buddha, I was in need of a safer replacement. There were already two Moccachino Astilbe near Buddha, but by placing two Montgomery's Late Red Astilbe nearby I could add a diversity of color to the corner.
I also placed two red astilbe along the fence line to help hide the post bases.
Two peach astilbe were also used to help hide two of the Gazebo posts in the courtyard.
Along the Stroll Garden bamboo bed, I planted two red astilbe at the start/end points of the bamboo to help frame in the bed.
I did the same thing along the viewing garden fence wall with two peach astilbe which also framed the two ends of that garden.
The remaining peach astilbe was planted along in a bed along the rear of the house.
In the end, the haphazard purchase and poor thinking, worked out. The bamboo is on its way to looking better...
... and the garden looks much more full than it has in the past. In time I am hopeful that the astilbe will grow larger and become seasonal highlights of the garden.
