I cut a lot of growth off my bamboo (clumping) this past week and used the thin canes as uprights in the chicken wire fence enclosing my vegetable patch. The idea is to keep chickens from jumping it; there are a couple who are capable of jumping on top of the wire then hopping down, but with thin canes every two inches, they can't perch on top and it's too high to jump completely over (that's the theory anyway).
I bought this bamboo several years ago as a tiny specimen in a 9 cm pot. It's been growing slowly ever since, and is now about as tall as me (170 cm, give or take) and has been expanding outwards at about the same rate. It's planted with a rose, a ceanothus, two gooseberries and two peonies; it was really starting to overwhelm the gooseberries. I probably took about a quarter of it away and the gooseberries are slightly easier to access--these are still just only knee height (but very productive for their size, and unexpectedly sweet).
I still have hopes that this bamboo will grow thick enough/tall enough canes for me to use as supports around the garden; the very thickest ones now are suitable for lightweight plants--but not tall or strong enough for runner beans or other climbers yet.
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