One of the contenders for
Chelsea Plant of The Year award this year was a plant that’s far less flamboyant than most of those entered and less of a breeding breakthrough. But it looks to me to be a really useful garden plant - and it didn’t even make the shortlist.
Fargesia murielae 'Luca' is a low, slowly spreading, evergreen bamboo that makes an ideal ground cover in inhospitable situations – it is not invasive.
Reaching no more than 50cm in height, ‘Luca’ develops a crowded mass of slender woody canes that are green at first and then become rather yellowish.
They make an impressive, exceptionally tight, weed-suppressing mass of growth and each is topped with narrow, slightly waved, pointed leaves that overlap to create a dense cover.
‘Luca’ is quite different from the 3m high umbrella bamboo from which it’s derived.
It also makes a useful, unusually tolerant, evergreen container plant - especially useful when regular watering cannot be depended upon – and it’s reliable hardiness ensures that it will thrive in containers in chilly situations.
‘Luca’ was selected as a seedling by the German breeder Frank Schnupper who also developed the earlier, and rather taller, ‘Elias’.
Fargesia murielae 'Luca' is available from
Burncoose Nurseries.
*Please note, the contents of this blog reflect the views of its author, which are not necessarily shared by the RHS
