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The Texas Bamboo Society continued the tradition of converting bamboo haters into bamboo lovers Saturday and Sunday at the 16th annual Austin Bamboo Festival.
The usually quiet Zilker Botanical Garden was noisy with advice from bamboo experts, armature bamboo minstrels, children, adults, dogs and their walkers for a weekend of presentations, crafts and vendors. Proceeds from the event will help fund bamboo research, education, maintenance of public bamboo gardens and support for bamboo artists.
The Texas Bamboo Society is a coalition of bamboo volunteers, enthusiasts and experts who strive to spread awareness and appreciation for the often misunderstood and unwanted plant. Like many society members, Carole Meckes, festival coordinator and bamboo craftswoman, joined the group after her casual relationship with the plant grew to a full-fledged love affair when she moved into a house with an established bamboo grove.
"I knew the plants were versatile, so when I started cleaning out the grove, I had piles of branches, and I was trying to figure out, 'What can I do with this wood?'" Meckes said. "I discovered that the branches are hollow between the joints and decided to make beads and jewelry out of them."
Meckes' beads were central to the sea of handmade bamboo crafts, garden and home accessories, watches, clothes, knickknacks and instruments available for purchase. Michael Davis sat on a bench surrounded by human-height plants for sale, practicing his new bamboo flute and admiring his spun bamboo clothing purchases.
"This is the softest shirt I own, and the tag says it doesn't stick to the skin, which is good because I'm a sweaty guy," Davis said. "When I was a kid, my dad made me tackle the bamboo that consumed the backyard, so it was always kind of a pain in the ass for me, but now I respect its resilience, usefulness and contributions to the environment. Today I learned that it doesn't even need pesticides, just water and love, so I'm taking home some plants to grow a fence so I don't have to pay some guys to install it."
Inspiring appreciation for bamboo in people who aren't plant enthusiasts is the society's goal, Meckes said. She was thrilled with the attendance this year, particularly the enthusiasm of teenagers and young adults, as soon-to-be homeowners and planters.
"Aside from its versatility, it is an easily maintained and beautiful addition to the landscape," Meckes said. "You can harvest it for so many different things, and then, unlike a tree, it grows back."
The third Saturday of every month, the society has a grove-grooming event in the Taniguchi Japanese Garden at the Zilker Botanical Garden. Volunteers are always welcome, even those who are new to bamboo. The only criterion is recognition that the trees are an undertaking of care, not a fulfillment of community service hours.
"The trees don't take a lot of care, but it does take a lot of attention to make sure it stays in its bounds and stays healthy," Meckes said. "They can't be treated as an object but rather as a labor of love, and both you and the plants will reap the benefits."
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