Hillside gardens in Ebbw Vale catch the wind, and bamboo planted as shelter often thrives so well it ends up as a nuisance. If yours has crept across the garden or under a wall, we cut the canes down, dig out the rhizomes and roots and take everything away.
Streets here climb the valley sides, and gardens tend to be sloped and sometimes difficult to reach. We think that through at the start, then clear the bamboo thoroughly rather than just cutting it back for it to return.
A garden high on the valley side takes the weather, so it is understandable that people reach for a tough, fast-growing plant for shelter or privacy. Bamboo delivers that for a while. Then, in a mild wet spell, the rhizomes spread, new canes appear across the lawn and the clump has become more trouble than the wind ever was. On an exposed Ebbw Vale hillside that happens surprisingly often.
Running types are the main cause. They send rhizomes sideways under paths, steps and boundary walls, and shoots can emerge a long way from the first planting. Cutting the canes down is a quick fix that does not last, because the underground growth simply sends up more. Digging it out is what works. We trace the roots out as far as they run rather than trust the canes to show us.
Many Ebbw Vale gardens rise in steps or on a hillside lie, and spoil can slide if we are careless. We cut the canes first, then lift the rhizome mat and roots section by section, working across the slope and leaving the ground stable as we go. Retaining walls and steps get extra attention, since roots often run beside them. We tell you what we find as we go.
Getting equipment and waste up and down steep terraces is part of the job. We plan routes in advance, carry material out by hand where needed and take it all away with us. Once the ground is clear, you can reseed, plant, or put in a hard surface in place of the bamboo. The same goes for any walls or steps we have to work beside.
Mountain weather and damp ground can encourage any rhizome left in the soil, so we recommend watching the cleared area through the next growing season. Shoots that appear are easy to pull while small. We are happy to return and check if you ask. We also cover Beaufort, Cwm, Brynmawr and Tredegar from Ebbw Vale. Do ask if you are out toward the hilltop streets.
A few jobs we have completed. We also work in and around Ebbw Vale.
We work across South Wales. Pick your town to see how bamboo removal works locally.
Running bamboo spreads through underground stems called rhizomes, and stopping it means digging them out thoroughly rather than just cutting down the canes.
Read the guide →Spreading bamboo can lift paving, push into wall joints and block drains, so it helps to know which type you have and when to act.
Read the guide →
Tree surgery is priced job by job rather than from a fixed list, so this guide explains what moves the cost up or down and how to get a firm figure.
Read the guide →Usually yes. We carry tools and waste up and down by hand if there is no vehicle access. Tell us about the steps, paths and gates, and ideally send a photo, so we can plan the dig before we arrive.
Wind does not hold it back at all. Bamboo copes well with exposed sites, and its rhizomes keep spreading underground whatever the weather is doing above. A clump planted as shelter can still travel well beyond where you wanted it.
Digging does disturb the soil, so the area will be bare for a time. We work in stages and avoid leaving large loose areas where we can. If you plan to replant or reseed, doing it soon after helps the ground settle.
Tell us what needs doing and where. We will come back to you, or call 07766 919630 if it is urgent.
