STYLE : GARDENS : In the Sticks

Nothing could be more appropriate for Arnold Newman’s jungle-themed house than a forest of giant Burmese timber bamboo shading the trek to the front door. One of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, bamboo has been known to sprout 36 inches in 24 hours, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Here in Sherman Oaks, Newman planted a single 3-foot-tall Bambusa beecheyana specimen and a box of rhizomes 26 years ago and now has a bamboo stand of more than 200 canes, each about 60 feet tall and 4 to 5 inches in diameter. So far, he’s cut three paths through the dense growth. Along the front path, shown here, a mushroom-shaped table and chairs offer a place to rest.

“People assume bamboo is rapacious and quick to run; it’s really not so,” says Newman, a member of the American Bamboo Society. There are two kinds of bamboo: running and clumping. Newman’s, one of the latter, is easy to control; he simply kicks the culms to kill any new shoots. Running bamboo, however, can spread 20 feet or more from the nearest cane and is responsible for bamboo’s bad rap. To keep either type of bamboo in check, Newman suggests going to a little extra effort before planting: Dig trenches and then line them with cement to prevent roots from undermining plumbing and sprinkler systems.

Bamboo is considered a thirsty plant, but a weekly watering in the summer is sufficient. With enough to drink, it will prove to be prolific, growing mostly between mid-August and December. Newman has cut enough canes from his own sustainably managed forest for a 130-foot-long fence to border his driveway. “If you want a dramatic effect,” he says, “this is it.”