If you only own one book on bamboo propagation, this is the one! Although it does not cover some of the newest hybrids, it covers more varieties than the average person can easily absorb.

My husband is a registered LA and has used this book as a resource book for his designs. Highly recommends and we have purchased another book that was cited in this one as well

This starts as a practical solution to a problem. A developer cut down the forest. The author lost his visual privacy. He set out to learn how to grow bamboo. His detailed understanding of what he learned in the process is invaluable to all who consider appreciation of this amazing grass.
If you only want one book on bamboo this is It!

Since I became interested in growing bamboo several years ago, I have reviewed every book I could find on the subject. None compare with Mr. Meredith's book. It is very conprehensive, easy and interesting to read, and the only book one needs on the subject whether he/she is a novice who wants to grow a few plants in the backyard, or a person who has a historical or scientific interest in bamboo. It also has many full color photos and illustrations.

In summary, it is a complete, easy to understand and interesting book on the subject of bamboo. One could not ask for more on the subject.

I am a bamboo grower and member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Bamboo Society. I have praised Meredith's book in two articles for the ABS magazine BAMBOO so I might as well do so here. It is really the bible of bamboo cultivation, answering every question-- well just about! As every bamboo grower knows, problems often arise for which one is unprepared-- for instance this season I found slugs living inside my bamboos and eating them from within! But Ted is available to respond to such questions, although he may not thank me for saying so here-- try contacting him first through his publisher. One thing I really like about him is that he is not, in contrast to some bamboo growers who think they know one's own environment better than one knows it oneself, dogmatic. He is very open-minded and thoughtful, listening carefully to what one says and responding in a balanced fashion. However, I must say that his book is not exactly a good guide to the first-time bamboo grower. There are so many facts that one tends to read it and then forget them until one runs into problems later. It is best kept as a reference book, although I highly recommend looking through his discussion of the various species before one decides to buy a bamboo. This is a book for serious bamboo growers, not people who think of bamboo as a mere hedge around their yard, but those who seek a gorgeous centerpiece to their garden which may eventually grow to be seventy feet tall with stalks which are several inches in diameter.