Crazy Idea - Grow Your Own Bamboo Canes!

[Tam]

You could try Leycesteria formosa (commonly known as "Pheasant Berry" or "Himalayan Honeysuckle"). It produces pretty good canes and it is best to cut out the flowered ones each autumn. I is an easily controlled shrub and the softbills, especially blackbirds and thrushes love the fruits, so you will eventually find little plantlets growing elsewhere as it easily grows from seed.

[Kristen]

At a previous house we used to use Dogwood (Cornus) for pea-sticks. We had several bushes, with lovely coloured winter stems, and they needed cutting down each spring in order to get highly-coloured growth for the following winter.

Many of the pea-sticks rooted, which was a bonus!

[lesalou]

I have a black type which is now up to about 15 ft tall, keeping itself quite tidy at the moment and a very pretty blue one, can't see the name as the tag is now buried, this one has a good prune every year as it attacks the washing on the line. i've used them for canes in pots for the past couple of years, no problems - as yet.

[Peter]

Coppiced Hazel is far better.

Pea Sticks AND Bean Canes, plus Nuts.