RANCHO VEGA

This is a low-rise, middle-income 50 year-old housing project in North Hollywood which covers about four complete city blocks.  In the mid 60's the owner planted golden bamboo throughout the project with no rhizome barriers.  The plants have been maintained by mowing the new shoots down whenever they appear.  Since all the land is owned by one person there is no problem with neighbors complaining.  And the plants are the most beautiful example of that species that I have seen. 

In the mid 70's an engineering draftsman named Tom Hogsett working for the Imagineers at Disneyland moved into the project.  He planted numerous bambusa oldhamii and also began using the canes for fencing, gates and even built a tree house and bridges with the oldhamii canes.  Unfortunately some of the clumps of oldhamii have not been maintained well and are now overgrown dense masses of impenetrable foliage with many dead and dying dried canes.  Tom's son Dave now lives in the project and does his best, but unfortunately maintaining such a large collection of bamboo is more than any one person can do.  One major centrally located clump of oldhamii is about 20' in diameter and 75' high.  It isn't being watered enough and many of the canes are dead.  They should let somebody cut it to the ground, install a new watering system and allow it to grow back from the rhizomes in the ground to form a grove of widely spaced new canes.  I doubt that will be done, partially because of the enormity of the job and also because the tenants seem to like the plants as they are. 

      Phyllostachys aurea (Golden bamboo)

  An inner courtyard

        Bambusa oldhamii

In 2005 I sent this note to someone who wanted bamboo stakes - "This place has tons of old bambusa oldhamii plants which need to have their old and dead canes cut out.  I talked to the old guy's son, who lives on the site and he seems to make deals with people who want some canes.  I don't know what the deals are, but I don't believe anybody should pay money to cut out the dead canes from their plants."  and got this response - "Finally followed up on your suggestion to approach Rancho Vega in North Hollywood about harvesting some of their bamboo.  The manager let me go at a clump of the Phyllostachys aurea.  It's a controversial community issue there, with an owner who doesn't want the plants touched, and every other possible opinion represented among the tenants!"