Can someone post a list of non-toxic plants for the aviary?

[CAWoodduck]

Hello,

I would like to add some plants to my aviary, basically something for shade, ground nesters and privacy. I dont want to mess with bamboo because ive heard it grows like mad and spreads like wildfire, and its hard to kill. Evy, if you could give me some of the names of the plants you have in your enclosures that you have had success with, it would really help me out!

Thank you very much!!..................Jason

[Evy]

It's easier to think of the few things that are bad. Nightshade & Castor beans are about the only things I can think of to really avoid. A lot of things may be listed as toxic but have to be eaten in great quanities to bother. Yew is one, but I had a shrub in the pen for 10 years before it died & it never bothered anything.

My pen has Juniper, Hemlock, Virginia Creeper, Trumpet vine, ornamental grasses & Daylilies in it.

[Hummer]

Jason, before you totally rule out bamboo as aviary landscape plants there are some that are well behaved and in you climate should do well. The ones that scare people are the different 'runner' bamboo. There are some 'clumping bamboo that are very well behaved and grow in clumps. In your climate you can probably use some of the mountain bamboo, Fargesia, and they will work well for you. Most of the Fargesia are smaller, clumping bamboo at a height of 6-12 feet. Then there are the larger clumpers like Bambusa which tend to get larger but offer alot more interesting texture and color. With the help of rhizome barriers you can add a lot of variety and interesting color with some of the smaller Indocalamus, Pleioblastus, Pseudosasa, Sasa and Sasella. Most of those will even do well in deep shade. To get an idea of the varieties and uses you might visit this website from a bamboo garden I mail order from quite frequently. That is the Bamboo Garden http://www.bamboogarden.com/ . They have it laid would with easy charts for height, color hardiness and shade tolerance and then have a page with pictures for each on that show the interesting culm (stalk) color and foliage colors. There is another bamboo nursery in Sebastopol, California that I recently stimulated their economy!!! LOL.

Now, I am a little partial to bamboo so I might be a little biased!!! LOL. I think I am up to something like 50-60 bamboo varieties any where from 1 foot tall to the larger timber bamboos. In my climate of the hot, humid southeast some of the larger timber bamboos have the potential for reaching 60-75 foot tall with culm widths of 5-7 inches....and they don't scare me a bit!!! LOL. Those Sumatra and other assorted 'bush chickens' just love to lounge in bamboo groves on a hot summer day.

Hummer

[CAWoodduck]

Thank you for the suggestions guys! I am going to the local nursery to pick-up some plants this week. As far as the bamboo, i had no idea that there were that many varieties!! I am also going to check into bamboo now as well, especially since i only live about an hour from Sebastapool!! I imagine those tall bamboo forests are something to see, i would rather have bamboo as a wind barrier than the untrustworthy eucalyptus that i have now, huge branches are always coming down, very unsafe!

Take care!!............Jason

[Bob308]

I have thought about using bamboo a number of times and have even been to the Bamboo Society sales here in Austin. But one thing that has always struck me is the price- if bamboo is so invasive and grows so rapidly then why is it so expensive. Even the common bamboo is like $20 for a small 1gallon plant. I can understand some of the exotic stuff going for $60 a gallon but I don't want that when there is a chance that a goat may get to it and devourer it.

Bob

[Evy]

I look at the photos that Steve & Richard Schock send me of their bamboo & drool. Wish I could grow it here but if the cold didn't get it, the beavers & rabbits would !

[Hummer]

I have thought about using bamboo a number of times and have even been to the Bamboo Society sales here in Austin. But one thing that has always struck me is the price- if bamboo is so invasive and grows so rapidly then why is it so expensive. Even the common bamboo is like $20 for a small 1gallon plant. I can understand some of the exotic stuff going for $60 a gallon but I don't want that when there is a chance that a goat may get to it and devourer it.

Bob

Bob, if you ever get adventurous and want to try bamboo let me know. The bamboos that you are probably seeing in Austin are some of the rarer 'clumpers' that are winter hardy in Austin and Houston. It goes make good, relatively quick shade. I am a compulsive propagator and hate to see anything go to waste. I've always got more started than I ever know what to do with. As if I didn't have enough pots to take care of I just got the bright idea to try my hand at cloning bamboo and it looks like they are all going to take!!!! LOL.

Hummer