BAMBOO CO NURSERY

In 2010 we hired Alain Flexer, owner of Bamboo Nursery in Franklinton, La, to plant bamboo in our yard. We're very sorry we did. We told Alain what we wanted and he recommended a running variety. (Put very simply, there are two types of bamboo, clumping and running. Google it) Running bamboo is notorious for sending out roots that will take over a yard. “Expert” Alain said he would put down a barrier that would prevent the bamboo from spreading. He charged more for the barrier than the bamboo. In less than ten years the barrier failed and the bamboo took over the yard. Every spring, hundred of new bamboo shoots would pop up in the yard. I asked Alain for advice. He said to kill the new shoots with herbicide. What a joke. For every one we'd kill, several more would pop up. It was bamboo whack-a-mole. None of the cheap, easy options worked. We had to bite the bullet and hire a landscaping company to remove the bamboo and dig up the ENTIRE YARD. This has cost THOUSANDS - far more than the original cost of placing the worthless barrier and planting the bamboo. Furthermore, some of the bamboo grew under the concrete porch, and no matter how much herbicide I use, it continues to grow from under the porch. I wonder if I'll ever completely get rid of it. Alain's incompetence cost us thousands of dollars. (It's still an on-going project). If you're in the market for bamboo, look elsewhere. J. Paul New Orleans, LA