apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I really LOVE the look they went for with these planters. Much different than the standard pansies and petunias! Anyone have any idea what variety of bamboo a person should use in order to recreate the look? I know that there are a surprising number of bamboo types and some are better for certain conditions that others... But I'm not sure which one would be best in this instance!

Oh yes, any more info on bamboo types and even the best type of containers (with drainage or without? fiberglass?) and sources for large planters would be great! This is exactly the type of look I was thinking of for in front of our place, perhaps with simpler design planters

Gorgeous boxes; thanks for sharing. I just blogged my recent plantings -- including some colorpop coleus -- at Living Small. While I don't have enough space for bamboo (though I'd love it), I've found that coleus matches well with other floral brights. I tried chartreuse sweet potato vine and white snapdragons. I've also got a sun-loving coleus in a high-light spot with Black Prince snapdragons. Though they aren't as contrast-y with respect to height, their colors really jive.

Thanks Matt! That's a fabulous idea. Two big pots = tropical paradise.

Marlaina, there are a lot of bamboo kinds, you are right. And it may well depend on your location as to what kinds would be best to try.

One good idea is to print out the images Matt took, and take them to your local nursery. Ask the people there if there are species that will grow and flourish in your locale.

And you can start by reading about bamboo here:
http://www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfo.html

This section on growing indoors also applies to containers (duh) and there are some ideas on the heights.
http://www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfoPages/GrowingBambooIndoors.html

Hmm, I briefly checked out a bamboo web site, http://bamboosourcery.com/, and growing in containers looks a bit trickier then I expected. This site has good info too http://www.bamboogiant.com/speciesList/speciesList.php.

Oops, this link should work: http://bamboosourcery.com/cat_frame.cfm

Another good website is www.bamboogarden.com
They're a nursery outside Portland Oregon, and do mailorder. The great things are the photos, plant descriptions and other information- height, climate zone, running or clumping, container uses, etc.

Very French-embassy-in-the-tropics. Makes me want to read Somerset Maugham while sipping a Singapore sling.

By the way I just realized that these are in front of the mayor's house on e. 79th street. That would explain the presence of the cop by the curb.